You're Not Easy to Love
by NaTTyKiinz
Summary: "I would just like to say that the rumors are true. Hermione Granger and I, Draco Malfoy, are currently in a relationship."  Hermione stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do with this utterly repulsive lie coming from his mouth. Full Summary Inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary:** (All of the fighting that happened in the seventh year was combined with the sixth year, so they are in the seventh year.) Draco Malfoy being his arrogant self pissed Hermione off for the last time. When these two get into a fight which then resolves them to have their picture taken by a mysterious person, a scheme is planned. That picture was sent out to everyone at Hogwarts making rumors form. The mysterious person is not only ruining their lives, but is also trying to end it too.

(January 07, 2011)

"Why is everything with you so complicated  
Why do you make it hard to love you  
Oh I hate it  
Cause if you really wanna be alone  
I will throw my hands up cause baby I tried  
But everyday with you is so complicated  
Oh why"  
_**Complicated- Rihanna**_

Draco Malfoy looked out the window of the Hogwarts Express, starring at the spot that his mother and father should be standing on. It didn't matter how many times he imagined seeing their faces appear with their arms extended to wave goodbye. Or where his father would be giving him his firm handshake goodbye and his mother would hug him as if he will never return, form her lips into a thin line to hold back the many tears which would then resolve his father to put his arm around her shoulders to calm her down.

He shook his head for even thinking about that happening. How foolish he was on the last six years for thinking about how embarrassing it was to have his parents escort him to the train station. Boarding the train alone made him wish more than ever to have their presence on that spot and not in a cell at Azkaban.

He sighed knowing that he won't be seeing them anytime soon and looked down at the newspaper on his lap.

**Lucius Malfoy and his wife Narcissa Malfoy, imprisoned for their union with the Dark Lord.**

_Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy have been escorted to their cells this very morning at the same time when the ongoing students would be boarding the train for school. The Malfoys have confirmed that they had been associating with the dark lord last year even at their very home. Now that he is now gone, Aurors are gathering all of his death eaters and followers. The Malfoys pleaded for not having their son, Draco Malfoy, sent to Azkaban. The ministry took their plea and let the boy finish his last year at Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardly. It is still uncertain if he would be free to roam around after him finishing school. The ministry have said that they would make their final decision when the time is near. _

Draco scoffed at the newspaper, folded it up and placed it in his bag.

"Draco," said a high pitched voice behind him. Draco turned around and saw Pansy Parkinson running towards him with Goyle trotting behind.

When Pansy was just arms length away from him, she reached out and hugged him tightly. He didn't hug her back, not even caring if she was his current girlfriend.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your parents," she said in a soft tone only for him to hear.

Draco pushed her off of him and took a seat on the couch.

"I don't need anyone's sympathy, especially from you."

Pansy looked hurt by his rude words and took a seat next to Goyle whom was already devouring a full chocolate bar in his mouth. When Draco turned his attention back to the window, Pansy placed her head on Goyle's shoulder while he rubbed her back in a comforting way.

Blaise Zabini walked into the train's compartment, looked at Pansy and Goyle and shook his head while taking a seat next to Draco, not bothering to say hello to his friends.

**~o~**

"Can you believe it? This is our last year and we are actually going to have a normal school year," Hermione Granger exclaimed while taking a seat next to Ron. He took her hand and kissed her cheek. Harry smiled at them knowing that finally they were actually going to have a normal school year, as Hermione said it, and not worry about defeating Lord Voldemort or searching for Horcruxes.

There was a knock on the door and Ginny walked in taking her seat next to Harry.

"I thought you forgot about me," Harry said while flashing her a smile.

"Why would you ever think that?" Ginny said and kissed him softly on the lips.

A knock once again echoed through the room and everyone looked up as they saw Lavender Brown pop her head in.

"Oh, sorry. I thought this one was empty," she said while blushing. Her eyes lingered to Ron and then at Hermione.

No one bothered to reply to her, hoping that if they didn't she would leave quicker.

"Well then, bye." She looked at Ron once more and closed the door.

"Honestly mate, what did you even see in her?" Harry asked while chuckling.

"Shut up," Ron said turning pink while glaring at Harry.

Hermione laughed and turned his face towards hers.

"No worries, she's gone now," Hermione said and kissed his lips.

When the castle started to appear, Hermione took her attention away from Ron and looked around. Everyone was already dressed in their school robes, everyone except her.

"When did you change?" Hermione asked Ron while pointing to his robes.

"When I had to go to the bathroom," he replied stiffly not knowing if she was going to bark on him for not telling her to change into her robes also.

Hermione huffed and reached for her bag where she took out her robes.

"I'll be right back," she said and headed towards the bathroom in the front of the train.

Without paying much attention to the area around her, she walked past the many girls and when the bathroom came into view, someone took her hand.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Hermione turned around and looked down at some third year girl.

"The bathroom," she said while wondering why this girl was asking such a question.

"Yeah, so am I, and not to mention, so are the rest of us," she said while pointing to the endless line of girls waiting for the bathroom.

"There is no way that I am going to wait in this line just for me to change into my clothes," Hermione said and shook the girl's hand off of her arm. Hermione huffed and started to walk to the other bathroom at the end of the train.

She knew that she would be passing the section where all of the Slytherins were seating at, just to get to the bathroom. While reaching the door that held all of those snakes together, she took in a deep breath. Never again was she going to wait to the last minute to do something.

Hermione opened the door and when she stepped in, every eyeball was glued to her. Hermione walked down the endless pathway, pretending that she didn't notice all of the sly looks people were giving her.

"Why must you be such an ass!"

Hermione stopped and looked around to see if someone was saying this to her, but all of the students turned back to their conversations with their friends.

"It's either you live with me being an ass or get out of my life!" screamed a voice in rage.

Hermione recognized that voice from anywhere. Who else would have the nerve to scream at the top of their lungs not caring for what people would think. Draco Malfoy.

As the blond head came into view, she saw that Pansy and Draco were having an argument.

She walked briskly down the pathway and was stopped dead in her tracks as Draco Malfoy stood up and stormed off.

Hermione looked at Draco's back and then at Pansy. Her make up was running down her cheeks as if she was crying. Pansy looked down at Blaise and Goyle who were both looking at the window, not wanting to be part of the argument, and got up from her seat.

"What are you starring at Mudblood," she said which ended with a sniffle and walked past the line of girls also waiting for the bathroom and disappeared into it.

Hermione looked at the line of girls and sighed. There was now way she was going to wait in line. She walked past the line of girls and walked right into the boys bathroom, not caring the slightest bit.

She locked the door and gave a sigh of relief.

"Finally," she muttered and leaned her forehead against the door.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" shouted a voice behind her. Hermione quickly turned around and gasped.

Draco was leaning against the running sink, his face drenched with water. His cold eyes glared at Hermione as if they were right about to burn a hole right through her body.

"I thought it was empty," Hermione said while looking down at the floor trying to cover up her blushed cheeks. Out of all the people that she could have run in on at the bathroom, it just had to be Draco.

"You thought wrong. Now get out, last time I checked this was a Slytherin, pure blood, males bathroom. We don't need you filthy muggleborns contaminating it," he said coldly and splashed water on his face.

Hermione got tired of this and looked right at Draco's reflection on the mirror.

"No. There's a long line just to get to the girl's bathroom and all I want to do is change into my robes." Hermione took a step away from the door and crossed her arms.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Leave, so then I could change."

Draco turned around and looked right at Hermione.

"You have some nerve to tell me what to do." Draco Malfoy took a step to her and starred down at her. He was so close to her that she felt one of the water droplets on his face fall on her hand. "Just for you, I'm not going to leave."

"Fine then. Neither am I." Hermione glared at him for a second and stepped away from him and faced the shower. She stepped into the shower and pulled the curtains shut. She couldn't believe that she was actually doing this.

Draco shook his head as he saw Hermione's silhouette on the curtain as she began to take of her shirt.

Hermione was halfway through from changing into her robes when the sound of the toilet seat echoed off the empty walls.

"You are not serious of actually going to the bathroom at this very moment!" Hermione gasped.

"A mans got to do what a mans has to do." Draco said slyly.

Hermione could already picture him smirking as he said that.

"I'm done, happy?" she said when in truth she wasn't. There was no way in hell, was she going to stand there while Draco peed.

Draco laughed as he saw Hermione opened the curtain with her skirt on the wrong direction and with no shoes.

"I thought you said you were done."

"Shut up, who makes you think that I would stay here while you go to the bathroom," she said while covering her vision of Draco with her free hand while walking to the door.

Once she was out of the bathroom she gave a sigh of relief and fixed her clothes, oblivious to the sight before her. Hermione looked up and noticed that everyone was gone, not a single soul was on this train.

"No!" she screamed.

The door opened behind her causing her to loose her balance and fall on the floor.

"Graceful," he said while walking over her and stepping off of the train.

Hermione gathered her self up, put all of her muggle clothes in her bag and walked off of the train also. As she expected, all of the carriages where gone.

Draco was already walking away leaving her behind.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm walking to school."

Hermione whimpered and looked at the night sky around her, she had no choice but to go with him.


	2. Chapter 2

(January 09, 2011)

"Who do you think you are?  
Running around leaving scars  
Collecting your jar of hearts  
Tearing love apart  
You're gonna catch a cold  
From the ice inside your soul  
Don't come back for me  
Who do you think you are?"  
**_Jar of Hearts- Christina Perri_**

Draco walked towards the Great Hall with no worry while Hermione was walking slowly terrified with what the professors are going to say. It was bad enough that she had to walk with the number one person she hated, to school, and now she had to walk into the hall with him.

Hermione stopped walking and took in a deep breath.

The Great Hall became quiet as professor McGonagall started to speak.

Hermione ran towards Draco and right when he was about to walk into the light, she pulled him by the sleeve and yanked him against the wall.

"We can't go in there while she is talking!" Hermione hissed.

Draco shook his head and yanked Hermione's hand off of his sleeve.

"Touch my clothing one more time Mudblood and I will be sure to burn your hands off." Draco dust off his shirt like it was covered with filth.

"Oh please, after touching you, I'll be sure to do so myself," Hermione said.

Hermione arched her eyebrow as he took out his wand and walked towards the Great Hall.

"Draco!" Hermione hissed.

Draco stood in the entrance way and said a spell in his head.

Professor McGonagall stopped talking and not a sound was made.

Hermione walked to Draco as he placed his wand back into his pocket. Looking past his shoulder, she saw that the everything in the Great Hall was frozen in place like they were in pause. Hermione stood there with her mouth opened, mumbling nonsense as Draco walked over to the Slytherin table and took a seat.

"How did you do that?" she asked but once she said that, the whole Hall unfroze.

Everyone turned around and starred at her. Hermione turned red in an instant and whispered sorry to Professor McGonagall and walked over to the Gryffindor table. As she took her seat next to Ron, she glanced up at Draco who was laughing at Hermione's embarrassment.

"Where the hell were you?" Harry whispered to Hermione as Professor McGonagall continued her speech.

"Long story," she mumbled.

**~o~**

"Where were you?" asked Pansy as she held Draco's arm while walking out of the Great Hall.

"Why does it matter. I'm here now."

"Why are you so mean to me now?" Pansy asked softly for the others not to over hear.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Why are you so stupid?"

Pansy stopped walking and took her hands away from him.

"This has got to stop! You're such an ass to me! I'm your girlfriend Draco Malfoy, not one of those one night stands that you had last year!" Pansy said loudly and crossed her arms. She was causing a commotion and she knew it. People slowed down, stopped talking and turned their heads towards them. Not many people have the courage to stand up to Draco Malfoy like that.

Draco formed his hands into fists. This girl is trying to drive him crazy.

"You know what else has to stop? Your God damn whining. And you know what all those one night stands were better than you combined!" Draco roared. That's what she gets for trying to humiliate him like that in front of his classmates. Pansy looked around as many students placed their hands over their mouths to cover up their laughter.

Draco watched Pansy's eyes fire up. He knew he ticked her off big time and he was still not worried, what ever this girl could do, won't hurt him.

"Oh really? Well then, I suppose it's safe to say that Goyle and I have been together behind your back! Yeah, I said it."

Draco looked over at Goyle to see if she was joking. He stood their shocked by what Pansy had said that even his banana nut muffin fell out of his mouth and rolled off into the crowd. Draco looked back at Pansy as saw her little smirk plastered on her face.

"And you know what else? He is a better boyfriend than you. Not to mention, in bed too." Pansy turned on her heel, almost smacking her long black hair across Draco's face and walked over to Goyle who still stood frozen from what happened. She crossed her hands around his neck and kissed him passionately for the whole world to see. The crowd that were surrounding them wooed them to continue. Blaise backed away from Goyle and walked to Draco's side.

"I'm surprised you didn't see that coming, Malfoy," Blaise said while placing his hands in his pocket.

Draco turned to his friend and shook his head.

"I guess you found your soul mate Pansy. Who knew that a backstabbing, fat ass, coward was the one," Draco said loudly as Pansy stopped kissing Goyle. Goyle turned pink from all that had happened and was just about to walk over to Draco but stopped as he saw him walked out of the crowd.

Draco reached the end of the crowd and stopped in his place as he was Hermione leaning against the pillar of the staircase. Draco picked up his pace and walked straight ahead.

"What are you starring at Mudblood," he said while glancing sideways at her.

"At a poor miserable soul," Hermione mumbled and walked away.

Draco stopped walking and turned around. She was lost in the crowd. He formed his lips in a thin line and kept on walking.

**~o~**

Draco walked into transfiguration with Blaise by his side. The students turned to their friends and whispered to one another while sneakily pointing towards Draco. He glared evilly to a pair of girls that quickly made them shut up and sat down at his seat. Sadly for him he had but no choice but sit in a table with Goyle, Pansy and Blaise.

"It sucks to be him," Ron sneered over to Harry and both of them laughed. While they looked over to Hermione, she smiled back at them.

Professor McGonagall transformed out of a cat and began to walk to the back of the classroom.

"As you all know, you had a reading assignment over the summer. I will randomly call on a person, and when that person is called, I want them to recite a couple of lines from the book." When she reached to the back of the classroom, ignoring the many groans, she called on Neville.

He groaned very loudly and stood up.

"Transfiguration," he started shakily, but Professor McGonagall stopped him.

"To the front of the class, Neville."

Neville groaned once again and slowly walked to the front of the class.

"Transfiguration... uh.. is an..um..transfiguration," Neville stumbled nervously. Sweat marks started to appear under his arms which made the class snicker.

"A bird has a better memory span than you, Longbottom," Draco snickered loudly.

"Transfigurmation...no I mean transfiguration.. uh," Neville said ignoring Draco.

"What? Cat's got your tongue?" Draco snickered once again.

Hermione couldn't take it anymore and stood up making the chair behind her fall.

"Stop it!" she sneered. "Can't you see that he has trouble with speaking in front of an audience? Or are you just blind to everyone around you?"

Draco also stood up and starred hard at Hermione.

"You dare try to address me, Mudblood?"

"Stop calling me that, Malfoy!"

"Why? It's what you are. It's even permanently marked on your left forearm," he said coldly.

Hermione looked down at her arm and saw the faint scar on her arm scribbled 'Mudblood'.

"And an arrogant, selfish, cold, heavyhearted, soul is what you are! I mean, isn't that why your girlfriend left you for your best friend."

Pansy and Goyle let go of their hands under the table and looked away from each other. Draco walked over to Hermione and flipped her table over. Ron and Harry quickly stood up, pointing their wands at him. Professor McGonagall was sternly telling them to stop and put their wands away, but no one listened. Draco stepped closer to Hermione, so close that their noses were almost touching. They glared at one another not showing any hurt but the words they have said to each other.

"You have no clue with whom you are messing with," Draco muttered frighteningly.

Before Hermione could open her mouth to respond, she felt strong hand on her shoulders pulling her back.

"How dare you both disrupt my class like that? Fifty point from Slytherin and Gryffindor. You both shall serve detention with me Saturday night. Also, I want you two to follow me outside," Professor McGonagall said while leading them outside of her classroom.

Hermione sighed and crossed her arms as professor McGonagall spoke.

"I have had enough with the both of you bickering at one another like some old married couple. I want you both to stay out here and apologize to one another. And to make sure that you both do apologize," she withdrew her wand and pointed to their feet and drew a circle around them. "You will not leave this circle until you do." With that she left them abandoned outside of her classroom.

Draco scoffed after her and tried to walk out of the circle that she drew with her wand on the floor. As his foot stepped on the line, it started to burn. Draco screamed in pain and threw some curses around.

"That old hag!" he yelled making sure that Professor McGonagall heard.

"Ten points from Slytherin," she said which she meant that she heard him.

Hermione uncrossed her hands.

"Let's just get this over with. You first," she said. Draco looked at her like she was crazy.

"What makes you think that I will apologize? Besides this spell of hers will die out. There is no way that she is going to make us stay in this circle for the rest of the day."

Hermione signed and sat down on the floor and held her head in her hands. Of course Draco wouldn't apologize.

The bell rang and the students from the transfiguration class came out of the classroom starring at Draco and Hermione. Ron and Harry smiled weakly to Hermione and walked to their next class. Pansy and Goyle were the last to walk out of the classroom and they were holding hands. Hermione quickly glanced at Draco and saw that he wouldn't even look at them.

Hours had past with them still sitting in that circle. Both of them were restless and their stomach kept grumbling in hunger.

"Draco, take a look around. It's already dark. We missed lunch and the rest of our classes. I will kill you with my bare hands if we don't get ourselves to dinner!" Hermione said as her stomach grumbled once more. Draco looked around and sure enough, the hallway was dark and empty. He shook his shoulders and laid his head on his knees. Hermione scoffed and her stomach grumbled once more, this time very loudly.

"Malfoy!" she screamed. "I'm serious!"

"Fine!"

"Okay, you first. Just say the words and it would be all over," Hermione said while standing up.

"No way, you say it first," Hermione glared at Draco. "Do you want to eat or not?"

Hermione's stomach grumbled once more.

"Fine! Draco Malfoy, I'm sorry for saying all of the rude remarks towards you!" she said and crossed her arms.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Draco smirked.

Hermione stuck her tongue at him, childishly.

"Very mature, Granger." Draco sneered.

"Just say the words Malfoy."

"The thing is Mudblood, I'm not really sorry."

Hermione glared at him evilly as her stomach growled once more. It seemed that it will burst out of her body and just crawl it's way over to the dinner table.

"I'm sorry," Draco said barely above a whisper.

Hermione sighed and tried to step put of the circle but it burned her foot. She screamed in agony as she held her foot.

"It didn't work!" she whimpered.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it!" Draco screamed.

"I don't get it, we apologized to one another. We should be able to get out now."

Draco shrugged his shoulder and this time his stomach grumbled.

"Damn Granger, look what you did," he said while holding his stomach.

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned away from him and started to think.

"What do people usually do after they apologize?" Hermione muttered.

"How would I know. I don't apologize to anyone."

Hermione opened her eyes widely and turned to face Draco.

"We have to hug."

Draco took a step away from her.

"No."

"Oh please, it's not like I want to hug you either!" Hermione said and crossed her arms.

They both looked at one another and this time both of their stomach grumbled as they smelled the food and her the laughter from the Great Hall. Draco took a look around to see if any one was watching.

"Let's make it quick, Granger."

"Okay. I'm sorry Malfoy."

"I'm sorry too, Granger."

The both of them walked awkwardly to one another and hesitated for a second before touching one another.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist as her held his arms around her. She was so short that her head barely reached his. Hermione felt his heart pounding quickly as they hugged and then she heard his stomach grumble. While still hugging one another, she started to laugh into his chest. Draco looked down at her and shook his head.

"You are such a child."

They stepped away from each other and looked at the circle outline. They both took in a breath and stepped out of the circle.

Hermione smiled as she felt no burning on her feet.

"Yes, we got out," she said but as she turned to Draco she saw him already walking down that hall and turning a corner.

**~o~**

"So what did you have to do to get out of that circle?" Ron asked the next morning during breakfast.

But before she could answer, two owls flew into the Great Hall and one of them was hers.

The gray owl dropped an envelope on her plate and flew away.

Hermione eyed it cautiously and ripped it open.

_Revenge it bittersweet, just how I like it. You ruined my love life, now I will ruin yours._

Hermione looked up and just as she did that, all of the owls flew into the Great Hall overcrowding the place. A few moments later, whispers started to appear and many faces looked down at their mail and then at Hermione.

"Hermione," Ron started but didn't finish as he looked at a photo in his hand.

Hermione snatched the photo away from him and looked at it. It was her and Draco hugging one another. The photo moved and it showed Hermione laughing while hugging him. The image changed then into her walking out of the bathroom on the train with Draco behind her. Then it changed once more to a writing that read "_Secret Love Affair_".

Hermione dropped the photo and looked around her. Everyone had that photo in their hands and everyone was looking at her and Draco. She looked over to the Slytherin table and saw Draco looking back at her, furiously. The look that he gave her sent knots in her stomach.

"This isn't good."


	3. Chapter 3

(January 15, 2011)

"I'll seek you out,  
Flay you alive  
One more word and you won't survive  
And I'm not scared of your stolen power  
I see right through you any hour"  
_**Eyes On Fire- Blue Foundation**_

Ron got up from the table and stormed off towards the exit.

"Ron, wait!" Hermione screamed while getting up from the table. He kept on walking like he couldn't hear her. Everyone still kept looking at her and Draco, whispering things to each other. Hermione ran after him, knocking people out of her way. Once she got to him, she put her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Ron. Not that foul ferret," Hermione said into his chest. For a few moments, Ron stood there not knowing what to do, but then he hugged her back just as tightly.

"I know you would never do this to me, Hermione. But seeing those pictures made me think otherwise. I need some time to think," Ron said while letting her go.

Hermione looked up at him tear eyed and mouthed no. She held onto his arms, not letting him go.

"Hermione please, I have to go."

"I won't let you go, Ronald. You promised forever, remember?"

Ron backed away a few feet and looked down at their finger tips parting away.

"I remember."

He turned around leaving Hermione behind with a trail of tears falling down her cheeks.

"Is this some kind of joke?" said a harsh voice behind her.

Hermione quickly turned around and saw Malfoy standing by the shadows of the Great Hall doors, clutching the photo in his fist. He took big steps towards her as she wiped away her tears.

"What makes you think that I did this?" she asked as he roughly threw the photo on the floor.

"_Say goodbye to your perfect life because now it will be turned upside down just like mine_," he read the letter in his hands.

"My life isn't even horrible!" she bellowed at him.

"Really?What a wonderful life you have that involves tears," he sneered. Hermione stepped towards him and slapped him across the face.

Fire burned in his cold gray eyes as he turned his face towards hers. Hermione raised her hand once again to slap him once more for the rude remarks he said towards her but he quickly grabbed it and squeezed it so tight that her palm began to turn white.

"You're hurting me!" she squeaked which made him tighten his grip even more.

"Slap me one more time you filthy piece of shit!" he growled when his nose was just a millimeter away from hers. Hermione swallowed hard and starred into his soulless eyes. He let go of her hand and threw the letter at her feet.

"I didn't do it, Malfoy!" she screamed with her back to him.

Draco walked away as students started to appear.

**~o~**

A week had went by with none stop whispering and gossip. This infuriated Draco. His fellow Slytherins walked away from him as he drew near; they ignored him completely at the common room. He lost his two good friends, Pansy and Goyle, and Blaise won't even acknowledge him.

Every day went by like a blur and he wanted nothing more than go any other place than where he was now. Azkaban sounded more appealing than the ruthless and clueless people that walked down these halls.

Draco walked out towards the lake area on Saturday morning, dreading the detention that he would be having later that night.

Fog surrounded him and the only thing that he could see was complete whiteness. He navigated his way through from hearing the many excited voices around him. As he walked further down the lawn, he starred at a tree shaped silhouette and walked towards it, hoping that it was a tree.

His vision came into focus and the silhouette was indeed a tree. He sat down, leaning against his back against the trunk and closed his eyes as he hit his head against it. The fog made his body shiver and he couldn't help but feel more alone when being was being trapped in it.

Draco opened his eyes slightly and saw a scribble on the tree's trunk. Thinking it was nothing more than a couple's names on it, he looked past it, but as hard as he tried to keep his eyes from lingering to that scribble he turned his head around and read it.

_A tree links life and as far as I know, death eaters don't. They link towards Azkaban, just like your parents. _

Draco quickly stood up and turned in circles to see who wrote this. The person had to be near, how on earth would they know that he would be sitting under this exact tree? The sound of dry leaves crunching made him take out his wand and aim carelessly to the whiteness around him. Moments later, he felt like the air was being kicked right out of him and fell on the ground with someone on his back.

Draco picked his head up and spit out the dirt that came into his mouth, he then roughly turned over the person on top of him. Hair was covering her face so with his wand he moved the many brown curls from her face.

"Granger! What the hell are you doing?" he screamed while putting his wand back into his pocket.

"Enjoying my time on the cold ground. What does it seem like I'm doing?" she sneered while getting up. She took the many dry leaves off of her bushy hair and walked over to her fallen book.

"I was walking while reading my book and the next thing I know, I bumped into you and fell on the ground," she said while Draco had his back faced to her.

"What are you starring at, Malfoy?" she asked and took a couple of steps towards him.

Draco quickly turned around and pointed to the message on the tree's trunk.

"Did you do this?"

Hermione read the message on the tree and gasped.

"How cruel do you think I am?" she said. "I would never say such a thing! Not even towards you."

"I need to find out who did this. Obviously this person is linked to the letter and the photos." Draco walked away from the tree and paced back and forth while rubbing his forehead.

Hermione pointed her wand to the tree and made the message disappear.

"I got a message too," Hermione said softly.

Draco stopped pacing and looked at her.

"What did it say?"

"_I know more than you can imagine._"

"What is that suppose to even mean?" Draco asked.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"Where is the letter?" he asked.

Hermione bite her bottom lip and replied. "I burned it."

"Why?" he said while taking what ever it takes to strangle her right there for doing such and idiotic thing.

"I don't want that in my presence!" Hermione screamed.

Draco shook his hand and walked away from Hermione. She watched him go and disappear into the fog.

**~o~**

Hermione looked out of the window watching the pouring rain fall. She hated the rain only because it always followed the one thing that could scare her right out of her shoes. Lightening and thunder. As if right on clue, a flash of white light filled up the dim room that came later with a loud bang. Hermione jumped in place and then shuddered as she walked away from the window.

She was alone in Professor McGonagall's office waiting for her to return with Draco.

Draco decided that he wasn't going to attend detention, but unfortunately for him, Professor McGonagall always gets what she wants.

Loud bickering started to appear, becoming louder and louder until the source of the bickering entered the classroom. Draco stood before the threshold, soaking wet from the rain.

"Now that you both are here tonight, for your detention I would like the both of you to grade these papers for me. As you can tell from the pile on my desk, I have loads of them." Professor McGonagall separated the huge pile into two and placed them on the students desk. Draco groaned and followed Hermione to the table.

"Here is the rubric for the grading. If you mark the papers with no consideration, I will find out and you then will be serving detention for the next month," she said while placing the rubric in between them. With that, she walked out of the classroom saying she will be back later.

Hermione graded five papers already with helpful tips on how to perfect their writing while Draco didn't even start. He instead was starring out of the window.

"Malfoy, start grading!" Hermione hissed. He glared at Hermione and looked down at his paper.

"Oh look, I have yours," he said and marked a T with a red pen.

"Malfoy!" Hermione shrieked and tried to grab her paper, but he was just to tall for her.

"How dare you mark a failing grade on a perfect paper!" she screamed while jumping up and down to reach it.

Draco laughed and the stood up on the table.

"You want it Granger, come and get it."

Hermione climbed up onto the table and steadied her self from losing balance.

"Malfoy, give it here," she said and extended her hand. Draco smirked and glimpsed through the paper.

"Sorry Mudblood but there is nothing perfect about this paper mainly because it is coming from you," he said and ripped it up.

Hermione watched in horror as the pieces fell onto the table and the ground.

"You, you despicable ferret!" she began and pointed her finger towards him. Draco watched in enjoyment as she started to get all heated up.

Hermione opened her mouth once more but a loud crack of thunder shook the room sending both of them off the table and onto the floor. The window burst open blowing all of the candles in the room out.

Draco hit his head hard on the hard floor and watched the room spin as Hermione fell on top of him. With a loud groan, Hermione hit her head against his forehead that sent pain all around.

"Bloody hell!" he bellowed while rubbing his forehead.

Hermione rolled off of him and starred up at the dark room as a white flash appeared before her eyes and another loud thud filled the room. Hermione clutched her ears from the thunder, not wanting to be anywhere near the thunder and lightning storm.

Draco stood up and almost lost his balance again. His head was dizzy and it seemed like the whole room was spinning around in many circles.

"Light the candle back," he muttered as he leaned against the table.

"Granger!" he said once again but she still didn't move. Draco opened his eyes and saw Hermione sitting on the ground with her hands wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth.

"You scared of a little thunder storm?" he said and nearly laughed. A Gryffindor afraid of a storm.

Hermione shook her head and pointed her finger towards the wall. Draco turned around and froze in place as he saw what she was pointing at.

_Be careful now, I don't want you two dead.. well at least for now, _was written on the wall with a bloody red color. Draco took a step back and whipped out his wand. Wordlessly, he pointed his wand to the wall and watched the message disappear. He also lit all of the candles back on.

"You're bleeding," Hermione said.

"No shit, you fell on me." Draco touched his forehead and saw blood on his fingertips.

"I'm going to find out who wrote that and then kill them," he said as he starred at his own blood.

**~o~**

Hermione sat at the breakfast table watching Ron shove food down his throat. She couldn't help but smile. It was Sunday morning and everyone was at the Great Hall eating breakfast. Last night was a night she didn't want to think about. She would like to forget it more and pretend it never happened.

"How was detention?" Harry asked.

"Let's not mention that," she said and took a bite of her red apple.

A fluttery sound came from the air above her and she watched hundreds of owls fly into the Hall dropping something on everyone's plates.

A photo fell on her plate with her and Draco. It seemed to be taken from last night when they fell and she was on top of him. Hermione dropped the photo and looked at Ron.

"Ron, I could explain," She said but he just turned his head away from her.

"Harry," she said but he just shook his head.

Hermione looked past Harry's shoulders and watched everyone holding that photo in their hands. She looked over at the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy standing up, walking towards her.

Without a word, he took Hermione by the hand and forcefully pulled her to the platform where the few Professors were eating.

"Quiet!" Draco screamed and every head turned towards them.

"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered but Draco just hushed her.

"I would just like to say that the rumors are true. Hermione Granger and I, Draco Malfoy, are currently in a relationship."

Hermione stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do with this utterly repulsive lie coming from his mouth.

Whispers ran through everyone's mouth and Draco just watched them all with a sly smirk on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

(January 17, 2011)

"All my life I've been good but now,  
I'm thinking what the hell  
All I want is to mess around and I don't really care about  
If you love me, if you hate me,  
you can't save me, baby, baby  
All my life I've been good but now,  
whoa, what the hell"  
_**What The Hell- Avril Lavigne**_

"What the hell, Malfoy!" Hermione screamed at him when they were alone in a corner.

Draco shrugged his shoulder like he didn't care and was about to walk past her but she grabbed his arm.

"Explain yourself!" she ordered.

"This person won't have anything to say about us if we are a real couple so I did exactly what the person is doing. Plus, I bet I could figure out who it is now," he said.

"You have officially lost it Malfoy! I have a boyfriend and I would never want to go out with you!" she said. "Plus people won't believe us."

She crossed her hands over her chest and smirked.

"You see Granger, I have this all figured out." He pointed his finger at her. "You will breakup with your lousy boyfriend and we pretend to go out with each other."

"You are crazy. I am not being part of this any longer." Hermione turned around and started to walk away.

Draco reached out and took her hand.

"You read what that person wrote on the wall the other night. He or she was in that room! Because I am bloody positive that the message wasn't there before."

Hermione stopped walking and took in a deep breath.

"This isn't going to work, Malfoy. I am positively certain that it won't." She shook her hand and went to go find Ron.

Draco leaned against the wall, smiling about his brilliant plan.

**~o~**

"Ron!" Hermione screamed once she saw his red head from the crowded hallway.

Harry turned around and saw Hermione and whispered something to Ron. He shook his head and kept on walking.

Hermione bit her lip and ran after them all the way outside.

"Ron please! Hear me out!"

Ron stopped walking and faced Hermione.

"I am done hearing you out! I can't believe you have been cheating on me with Malfoy of all people!" he bellowed making his face turn all red.

"Ron, please," she started but was cut off once again.

"So, what is it that make Malfoy a better boyfriend than me? I treated you well for so many years and you go doing this to me with a guy that you hate and bullied you!" he screamed. Harry stood by Ron not knowing what to do.

"It's not like that!" she screamed.

"Oh really? Then what is it?" Ron said.

Hermione shook her head and looked the other way while tears started to form.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but I agree with Ron on this one," Harry said.

"Ron, you can't do this to me."

"I can't do this to you? you? You can't do this to me! Merlin, I thought you were so much better than this! Lavender was even better than how you are treating me!" Ron yelled but them quickly covered him mouth.

Hermione started to get furious.

"Well then, go back with Lavender!" she said raising her hands in the air.

"Fine I will!" Ron turned from Hermione and stomped away dragging Harry with him.

Hermione formed her lips in a thin line and crossed her arms. This was war now.

**~o~**

"Oh Malfoy, you are hilarious did you know that?" Hermione said with a fake laugh. "There is no way I am going to walk into potions with you."

"What you think I want to? You're the last person I would walk in with to somewhere," he said leaning his back against the corner of the hallway that would lead them to their potions class.

"Oh Merline, let's just get this over with," she said and started to walk down the hallway. She stopped walking and turned her head over her shoulder.

"Are you coming or not?"

Draco took in a deep breath and walked over to her.

"Let's go."

She held her arm out in front of him to stop him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she said.

Draco looked down at her, confused.

She held her books out to him and smirked.

"A boyfriends holds their girlfriends books."

Draco rolled his eyes and roughly grabbed her books and held them all in one hand by his side.

Hermione smiled to herself and they walked down the hall together. Students parted their way, starring at them with their mouths wide open. Hermione was nervous for walking into the class because Ron would be in there. She held her breath as they walked over the classroom's threshold.

The whole classroom became quiet and every eye was glued to them. Hermione's eyes wondered to Ron's red head and she saw Lavender Brown kiss his cheek. A giggle escaped her mouth that sent Hermione wild.

Hermione looked over at Draco and grabbed his hand. Draco was stunned by her actions but played it off cool as he lead her to her seat. He placed her books on the table as she sat down next to Harry. Hermione didn't let go of Draco's hand but instead pulled him forward. She kissed him softly on the cheek. Hermione smiled at him as Draco glared evilly at her.


	5. Chapter 5

(January 29, 2011)

"We can fight our desires  
But when we start making fires  
We get ever so hot  
Whether we like it or not  
They say we can love who we trust  
But what is love without lust?  
Two hearts with accurate devotions  
And what are feelings without emotions?"  
_**In For The Kill- La Roux**_

Hermione and Draco walked out of their charms class holding hands. Students still whispered behind their backs as they walked down the halls. Draco and Hermione stopped walking and stood in the middle of the crowd as she went on her toes and whispered something into his ear. Many of the Gryffindors looked disgusted at Hermione while the Slytherins did the same to Draco. No one could be comfortable with them going out.

Hermione stopped whispering and kissed him on the cheek. They both looked at each other, forcing a smile on their face. Hermione held onto his arm and they both walked down the hall. Draco glared at the corner of his eyes and saw students watching them as they walked.

To Hermione, the bright side about this mischievous plan was that Ron was getting jealous every time he saw Hermione with Draco. For Draco, it was that the the mysterious person hasn't sent another photo to the whole school for a week.

Draco and Hermione walked down the hallway itching to let go of each others hands. As the coast was clear, they quickly let go of their hands.

"This whole plan is making me sick," Draco muttered as he whipped his hand on his pants.

"This was your bloody idea Malfoy!" Hermione sneered as she snatched away her books from his hand.

"Well it seems to be working. I just haven't actually though about how disgusting and painful it would be to be next to you the entire time," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"A week has gone by, how much longer do we have to pretend that we are going out?" Hermione whispered while turning her head to make sure no one had overheard or appeared.

"I don't know, but I do know that it wouldn't be much longer. I don't think I could stand much more of this," he said but was quickly cut off as Hermione came closer to him and pulled his tie towards her.

"What the bloody hell are you doing Granger!" he snarled but Hermione just hushed him.

By the force of the pulling of his tie, he leaned down towards her; their foreheads were just a centimeter apart.

He snarled as Hermione moved her lips closer to his. For a few moments they just looked into one another eyes while their noses touched. Hermione looked into his gray eyes and for the first time realized how beautiful they were. She felt her self getting lost in them but was quickly pulled out from them as he cleared his throat.

Hermione shook her head softly and slightly looked to her right. She let go of his tie and sighed.

"What was that about?" Draco asked as he adjusted his tie.

"I saw Lavender Brown standing over there and staring at us. I don't know for how long she was there so I just quickly pretended that we were kissing," she said while pointing to the spot that she saw Lavender at. "Why would she be looking at us?"

"Jealous I suppose," Draco shrugged. "I bet that weasel can't even please his girl right that she has to watch other couples."

Hermione punched him on the shoulder and rolled her eyes.

"You are such an ass," Hermione muttered and walked away.

**~o~ **

A black silhouette ran down the many flight of stairs with a huge black cloak all over. It reached the end of the staircase and was just about to turn the corner but instead retracted itself to the wall.

"The grounds are all clear, professor McGonagall," Harry informed the professor.

Professor McGonagall nodded her head and escorted him out of her classroom, while locking her door. As she placed the key into her pocket she looked down at Harry.

"Be careful now Harry," she said with a smile.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen. Goodnight Professor, see you tomorrow." Harry walked down the other direction from the cloaked person and disappeared into darkness.

The person poked its head out to see if the hallway was cleared. When it was, the person ran down the long corridor silently and didn't stop running until it had reached its destination.

The person walked into the Great Hall and held out it's wand. It pointed to a bare wall of the Slytherin side and began to move its wand in a scribbling motion.

It lowered it's wand and looked at what it created. The cloaked person, then walked to the other side of the Great Hall and pointed its wand to the Gryffindor side. After finishing what it came for, it left the Great Hall with a small plastered on its face.

**~o~**

Draco walked down the crowded hallway oblivious to the many students in front of him. Everyone of them looked at him and parted the way to let him into the Great Hall. It was Monday morning and he surely wasn't fully awake that early in the morning. He walked down the space the students parted with no emotion and walked over to the Slytherin table. He sat down with his hands holding his head and after a few moments of the Great Hall of being silent, he looked around and saw that he was the only one sitting at the table.

Confused, he stood up and saw what everyone was pointing and looking at. Apparently towards him.

"What the hell are you staring at me for?" he blurted out, not wanting to have any chaos that early in the morning.

"We're not staring at you, we're staring at what's behind you," said a fifth year Slytherin boy. Draco glared at him and watched the boy shrivel away.

Lazily, he turned around and froze.

_Mirror, mirror on the wall. Whom the best liars of them all? Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger that's who. Everyone should know that your little relationship is nothing but a fraud._

Draco formed his hands in a fist, digging his nails deeper and deeper into his skin. He was ready to burst. Water droplets from his showered hair, sizzled down his heated face.

Blaise walked over to his best mate and touched his shoulder. Draco turned around and shoved Blaise away.

"Who wrote this?" Draco barked.

Everyone looked at him, frightening by his heated appearance. If anything, they though that he would curse them right there.

Draco looked down at every single face and shook his head. He began to push people out of his way as he was walking over to Hermione.

"Is this true?" a voice asked behind him.

Draco turned around and saw the students point their fingers to the same fifth year boy that pointed out what was written on the wall.

He saw the boy take in a big gulp and started to back away. Draco took a breath and walked away with out looking back.

**~o~ **

Hermione starred at the wall in wonder. She heard her fellow Gryffindors mutter to one another as they stared at Hermione's back. She hadn't moved a muscle since she walked to her table and found that message on the wall.

Not knowing what to do next, she turned around and looked over at Harry. The Gryffindors started to bicker and curse as Draco pushed them out of his way.

Hermione watched him do so, waiting for him to explode. She saw his pale face appear with no emotion and walked towards her without missing a beat. She arched her eyebrows in confusion as he stopped right in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly. Not even a second later, Draco leaned down towards her soft lips and kissed them. Hermione stood there, stunned, with her eyes wide open. He kissed her softly, no aggression what so ever.

Hermione slowly closed her eyes and followed his rhythmical lips. For a few moments, she didn't know where she was, why she as there and who was around her. Even that fact that she was kissing the boy she hated since she was a kid. The only thing that was in her mind was how wonderful this kiss was.

With out warning, Draco stopped kissing her and was about to walk away, but Hermione caught him by his tie. The cold gray eyes melted into the warm chocolate eyes as they looked at each other. Hermione stood up on her toes and kissed him once more. Smirking, Draco kissed her back. She ran her fingers through his wet blonde hair as he pulled her closer by his hand on the back of her neck. The kiss wasn't sloppy, messy, or forced. It flowed perfectly as if they were a real couple that were kissing each other in desire. The kiss was overpowering both of them.

The stopped kissing and touched their foreheads together and smiled. It was either because they played the crowd so well or that they started to develop feelings for one another.

They both turned to face the crowd. Draco placed his hands on her waist as Hermione placed her head almost to his shoulder. The shocked crowd parted the way as they left the Great Hall, smiling.**

* * *

Author's Note: **I finished writing a story, it's called '_Guardian Angel_'. This time it's an Lucius _Malfoy and Narcissa Black_ love story. It's a short story, only five chapters long. I truly would love it if you guys would read that story. You don't have to like the pairing to read it, I wrote it in a simple format so that it could be even interpreted to Draco and Hermione. Please read it, it will make me happy :)


	6. Chapter 6

(February 01, 2011)

"Baby, can't you see, I'm calling  
A guy like you should wear a warning  
It's dangerous, I'm falling  
There's no escape, I can't wait  
I need a hit, baby give me it  
You're dangerous, I'm loving it"  
_**Toxic- Britney Spears**_

"Well, that went well," Hermione laughed as she and Draco walked out of the Great Hall that were now filled with many too stunned students.

For the first time, Draco Malfoy looked down at Hermione and laughed along with her. The kiss was priceless. It made everyone believe that they were actually going out, no matter what that message said on the wall. Everyone knows for a fact that Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger would never let their lips meet. If they do, then that would mean that an Apocalypse was here or that they truly liked each other.

Out of a habit, Draco walked Hermione to her Ancient Runes class while holding her hand. They stop right by the door and Draco looked down at her. He put his hand on the wall next to her head. He looked into her deep brown eyes and wondered what she was thinking as he did so.

Hermione licked her lips and formed them into a thin line.

"So, your going to kiss me now?" she asked but sounded more like a statement.

"I'm debating whether or not, your lips are worthy of being kissed again." Draco did his all time famous smirk.

With his other hand, he lifted her chin and lightly kissed her on the lips. It was small, but it sent tingles up and down her body. Hermione gently, put her hand on one side of his neck and deepened the kiss. Draco felt her smiling while they kissed that made him wonder what was going through her mind, once again. At times, she was just so hard to figure out.

"Malfoy. Granger."

Draco and Hermione quickly broke the kiss as they heard Professor McGonagall's voice call them. Hermione blushed as she saw her teacher approach with a stern look on her face.

"Follow me, " she ordered.

"But, I have to go to class," Hermione stumbled while pointing her finger to her Ancient Runes class.

"That can wait." Professor McGonagall walked past them and continued to walk without looking back. Hermione heard Draco sighed and watched him follow her. Hermione had no choice but to go too.

**~o~ **

They walked into her office knowing exactly why she wanted to speak to them. Obviously it had to do with the message on the wall that had their names on it. Professor McGonagall sat behind her desk as Hermione and Draco sat at the table in front of her. Her classroom was empty, which meant that this was her free period.

"Look, the writing on the wall wasn't us," Hermione shrieked right when Professor McGonagall was just about to open her mouth to speak.

"Calm down Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said.

Hermione closed her mouth and blushed. Draco shook his head at the idiocy that Hermione showed. She would never be a good criminal. Blurting out that you didn't do it, would just make you more of a suspect.

"Who wrote it?" Professor McGonagall asked sternly.

They didn't say anything mainly because they didn't know.

"Photographs of you two had been sent around the whole school since the semester started. Please explain yourselves."

"The thing is Professor, we don't know who is doing all of this," Hermione whimpered.

Draco rested his head on his hand that was on his cheek while rolling his eyes in a bored expression.

"Obviously if we knew who was doing all of this, it would've stopped the minute the first photograph went out," Draco snarled.

"Fix your tone, Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall snapped at him. Draco ignored her commentary and stared off into space.

"I will not have these foolish disruptions going on at this school. Find out who is doing all of this and report him or her to me immediately. I will make sure that this person is punished properly."

Hermione nodded her head. Draco snapped out of his daydream and looked at Professor McGonagall.

"That's it? You're not even going to ask us questions? What if Granger or I are the criminal minds behind of all this?" Draco blurted out with no intention of sounding respectful.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Hermione hissed.

"What if it was her doing all of this?" Draco said while pointing his finger at Hermione.

"Me?" Hermione squealed and stood up. "Why on earth would I be doing this? If your big head hadn't noticed yet, my name and my face was on those pictures and that message on the wall!"

"Hey, I'm just saying." Draco crossed his hands across his chest.

"What if it's you!"

"Yeah Granger, because I enjoy torturing myself. I would never waste my time on something so stupid like this."

"Enough. Return to your classes. Find out who did this or I will punish you both instead." Professor McGonagall said and took out a pile of papers out of a folder.

Hermione huffed and walked out of the classroom with Draco trotting along.

"What was that all about?" Hermione hissed as they were safe hearing distance away.

"I know for a fact that I'm not the one doing this. I have nothing to lose. For all I know, it could be you," Draco shrugged.

"Malfoy you're crazy! I would never ruin my reputation like that!" Hermione barked and stopped walking to calm her self down. Draco saw how bad of an emotion state she was in and put his arm around her.

"We'll find out who this person is. I mean it."

"You've been saying that for weeks," Hermione choked.

Draco sighed and faced Hermione.

"I mean it this time," Draco said softly and kissed her cheek. Why he did that, he didn't have the slightest clue. This plan of his was getting way to far into his head.

**~o~ **

"The library closed thirty minutes ago!" the librarian snarled as she walked down the aisles of the many bookshelves. Draco sat up and looked around, not knowing where he was for a second. He groaned and looked down at his essay paper. He fell asleep before he could even finish his name. That was how boring that essay was. Draco picked up his textbooks, not bothering to put back that library ones, and left the room without saying goodnight.

Sleepily, he walked down the changing staircases, eager to be in his bed at the moment. Draco leaned against the wall before finishing his last few flights of stairs. His whole body was hurting from the quidditch game that he played earlier that day. For a few seconds, Draco closed his eyes. A sharp noise quickly awakened him and as he opened his eyes. A folded note that was taped on the wall, that wasn't there before, grabbed his attention. Draco looked around to see if any one was near, but as he saw no one, he took the note and read what it said.

_If I were you, I'd watch what I say and watch my back._

Draco crumpled the piece of paper and threw it on the ground. He turned around to see who wrote this and before he could scream out for help, a cloaked person grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him down the stairs. His books and paper flew everywhere, his body rolled down the many stairs and his vision started to blur as he looked up at the cloaked person watching down at him. Draco tried to get up but he couldn't move a muscle.

A tsk-ing sound came from the person as it walked down the stairs to him. The person reached Draco and started to kneel down to examine him. Draco's vision turned into darkness before he could see the person's face.

The cloaked stranger picked up the crumpled note that Draco threw and walked over his lifeless body.


	7. Chapter 7

(February 04, 2011)

"That bad girl power I got, I'll abuse it tonight  
Got poison on my mind  
That power I got, you'll be mine till the light  
Got poison on my mind"  
_**Poison- Nicole Scherzinger**_

_Fog was everywhere. You can't get run away from it, you can't see through it, you wouldn't even see it move if you waved your hand through it. Draco stood in the middle of nowhere with the white fog surrounding him. _

_Hesitation started to rise as he looked around eagerly to find a way to escape. He would run, but he knew it would be useless. He wouldn't even know if he was moving at all._

_To him, this is what death felt like. You couldn't run away from it, there was nothing to it at the end but complete nothingness, it surrounded you whole._

_Just when he was about to give up and let death win this fight, the scenery started to change. Draco watched in agitation as the fog disappeared and he was standing in the astronomy tower. Rain was pouring down on earth as if they were in a category five hurricane. The sound of the rain hitting the gravel roof up above made his ears ring. Clueless, he looked around, wondering why on earth he was even there. The wind was so strong that as he tried to walk forward he almost flew backwards._

"_Draco," a whisper echoed through the storm._

_Draco squinted his eyes and noticed a person standing with her back towards him, at the other side of the astronomy tower. He couldn't see her face because some sort of shadow was blocking her face. _

"_Who are you? What do you want?" Draco screamed through the storm. He walked forward but the wind threw him backwards. _

"_Draco," her voice whispered. He had no clue on how he even heard her. She spoke so softly. He looked at her more closely and saw that she was wearing an all white dress. He still couldn't see her face but he saw long curly brown hair flow past her chest. _

"_What do you want?" he asked again. But she gave him the same response, except this time she held out her hand. _

_Draco shook his head and turned around. The scenery twirled around him and he was no longer at the astronomy tower. He stood in the middle of whiteness. Where he stood know scared him more than the fog. _

_His heartbeat started to quicken as he turned around and saw the same girl with her hand extended towards him. Her clothes matched so perfect with the white, that you could only see her hand and her shadowed head. _

_He opened his mouth to scream no but he couldn't. He couldn't even breath. Draco fell to his knees and grabbed his throat. He needed air, badly. The girl walked over to him. Draco watched in terror as blood began to drip down her white dress. First, a huge puddle of blood started to form on where her heart should be. Then, it started a trail down her dress._

"_Stay away from me!" Draco managed to choke out._

"Stay away from me!" Draco screamed and sat right up on his bed. Hands flew towards him and started to push him back down.

"Stay away from me!" Draco screamed again.

"Mr. Malfoy, stop! Please calm down," Madam Pomfrey screamed at him while pushing him back to the bed.

"Draco, please," Hermione whimpered as she held his hand.

Draco turned to his right and saw Hermione sitting next to him. She looked tired. Dark circles were under her eyes, her hair was a mess and she already got some wrinkles on her forehead from all of the stress.

"What happened?" Draco asked as he looked at her.

"You fell down some stairs. If Hermione hadn't been walking down them, you wouldn't be here right now," Madam Pomfrey said. He saw a smile form on her lips. Draco looked around and saw that he was at the Hospital Wing. Light was streaming into the room from the sun outside. Last time he checked it was night time.

A couple of hours went by of Madam Pomfrey running some few check ups and Hermione going back to the common room to change. She returned with a two cups and a bottle, and the healer gave some privacy to them as she glared at the bottle Hermione was holding.

"You stayed with me the whole night?" Draco asked the moment Madam Pomfrey closed her door.

Hermione smiled and put down the drinks on the bedside table.

"Of course, I couldn't leave you like that. No matter how much I hate you," she smirked.

"You called me by my first name earlier," Draco said.

"Hmm, I guess I did." She turned her face and filled both cups from the bottle. "Is that a problem?"

Draco sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Not anymore."  
Hermione quickly glanced at him and saw that he wasn't looking at her.

"Here," she said while extending a filled cup out to him.

"What is it?" he asked while taking it.

"What, the ultimate bad boy wont drink liquor?" Hermione smirked.

Draco arched his eyebrow to her as he put the rim of the cup to his lips and sighed.

"I'm afraid that this perfect good girl can't difference between liquor and something that's not." Draco glared at Hermione and saw her laugh.

"It's not alcohol. It's juice." She raised her glass to her lips.

"So this is what you decide that I should drink after I almost experienced death? Juice?" Draco shook his head and took a sip.

Few moments later, his glass of juice shattered on the floor, his mouth started to foam, and he started to shake uncontrollably.

Hermione stared in horror at how Draco was. His veins started to appear in his translucent skin, his face had turned red and he clenched his hands into fist. Hermione took a step back, dropping her glass of juice and covered her mouth. She didn't know what to do.

Madam Pomfrey ran out of her office as she heard glass shattering on the floor. She took one look at Draco and ran to her medicine cabinet.

"Wh-what's wrong with him?" Hermione shrieked.

"He's having a seizure. Move," Madam Pomfrey spoke quickly. Hermione took a couple of more steps back and watched the healer. Madam Pomfrey tilted Draco's head back and poured a blue potion into his mouth. A few seconds later, Draco stopped heaving, shaking and he turned back to how he used to be.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey ordered as she whipped away some sweat off of her forehead.

"I-I don't know. He took a sip of some apple juice that I brought and then," Hermione extended her hands outwards. "That happened."

Madam Pomfrey took the bottle off the bedside table and sniffed it.

"It's been tempered with. This bottle is poison disguised as apple juice." Madam Pomfrey looked sternly at Hermione. "Where did you get this?"

"A person gave me this. A note was attached that said, _I hope Draco feels better_." Hermione quickly gasped and hit her head. "That stranger must have given it to me, and I haven't even noticed."

Tears started to run down her cheeks as the thought of her also having a seizure, ran through her mind. Hermione walked over to Draco and cupped his hand into hers.

"Please forgive me for my utterly stupidity," she cried.

Draco opened his eyes and patted her head as she cried into his arms.


	8. Chapter 8

(February 06, 2011)

"I'll give you everything you'll ever need and I'll find a way to turn you into a monster.  
Me and you we can rule the world 'cause no ones gonna mess with me I'm a monster.  
I'll give you everything you'll ever need and I'll find a way to turn you into a monster.  
Me and you we can rule the world 'cause no ones gonna fuck with me I'm a monster."  
**_Monster- Professor Green feat. Example (Camo & Krooked Remix)_**

It has been a week. A week of Draco at the Hospital Wing, a week of rumors flying around about what happened, a week of Professor McGonagall nagging them both on who was doing all of this, and a week with no answer.

"Draco, what are we going to do?" Hermione asked as she walked out of the Hospital Wing with Draco.

He put his arm around her, not knowing how to answer that question. Hermione sighed and placed her head onto his chest. They walked down the corridors, for the first time, oblivious to the many stares they were getting. Since the time when Hermione served him the poisoned apple juice, she has been acting weird. Draco just thinks that she feels horrible for being so stupid of taking the mysterious drink.

They walked into their charms class and parted their ways to their seats. Hermione sat down next to Harry and Ron.

"What's going on with these rumors?" Harry asked the moment her bottom touched the chair.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone is assuming that you tried to kill Malfoy," Ron stated. "Please, let me just say that could you do it already."

Harry looked at Ron and smacked him across the forehead and faced the now red faced furious Hermione.

"Who's been saying that?" Hermione hissed.

"I don't know, Lavender said something about that," Harry said too taken aback from her heated expression.

"Well she's wrong! I didn't do it! Who does she think she is!" Hermione bellowed. Harry and Ron sank down in their chairs after Hermione's wild outburst. The room became quiet and every face was staring at them. Even Draco turned around from his argument with Blaise to see what the commotion was about.

"Merlin Hermione, calm down. We're not accusing you for anything. We know you would never do something like that." Harry looked at Ron as he saw a glimpse of Lavender walking up to their table. Harry shook his head softly and touched his temples with his fingers. This was going to be a very long charms class.

"Hey everyone," Lavender chirped as she sat down on Ron's lap. Ron kissed her cheek, ignoring the awful silence that was roaming the air around them. Hermione didn't keep her eyes off of Lavender's head full of lies.

"Do you like spreading rumors about me?" Hermione spat at Lavender.

"And her we go," Harry muttered and slouched back into his chair. Thankful that he was in between both of the girls.

"What are you talking about?" Lavender asked with an uneasy look on her face.

"You sent all of those photographs about me and Draco, didn't you? Don't lie, I see the guiltiness all over your face."

"I-I don't know what you are talking about," Lavender said in a more hushed tone.

"Stop lying you bitch. I know you did it," Hermione bellowed. The charm's teacher looked at their table with a stern look on his very little face. A warning for them to all be quiet.

"Hermione, calm down," Ron said while tying his hands around his girlfriend's waist.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Ronald. She did it!" Hermione stood up making her chair fall backwards. Lavender stood up also but only to leave.

"Lavender wait!" Ron called out towards her as she walked away. Lavender turned around and crossed her arms.

"No Ron. I don't need to be around this crazy psycho bitch today. If you want to be with me, then come to my table." With that she turned on her heels, gave an evil glare to Hermione and walked over to her own table.

"What the hell, Hermione," Ron huffed and slammed his back to the chair. With so much force, he and the chair fell over. The whole classroom began to laugh as he got up, red from the embarrassment, and sat down on his chair. Hermione turned around to look at Draco and saw that he was already staring hard at her. Hermione sighed and turned her attention back to her charms teacher.

**~o~**

Hermione was first to exit her Charms class. She walked away deep in thought. She knew that Lavender started all of this. She just had to be sure.

Strong arms grabbed her from behind and she stopped.

"What was that all about," Draco whispered into her ear.

Hermione knew better and didn't reply. Instead she grabbed his hand and led him outside to a bench where they can sit and talk.

"I swear that Lavender started all of this," Hermione said so fast that Draco had to think about what she said in his head.

"What makes you think so?" Draco finally replied.

"I just know okay."

Draco shook his head. "That won't convince Professor McGonagall."

"I don't care. She did this!" Hermione got up on her feet and started to walk away. She was going to find out for a fact that Lavender started this.

**~o~**

Lavender Brown walked out of the library with a couple of books in her hands. She had an eye out for Hermione the whole day. After that commotion she held in their charms class, she didn't want to go anywhere near her. Alertly, she walked down the stairs carefully, remembering what happened with Draco. Every few steps she turned out to make sure no one was behind her.

"This is crazy," Lavender muttered to herself. She took in a deep breath and continued to walk down the stairs.

"It sure is," a voice called from behind her.

Lavender's heartbeat started to pound against her skin. Slowly, she turned around. Hermione was leaning against the railing, just a few feet behind her.

Lavender signed in relief, thankful that it wasn't the mysterious person that everyone was talking about.

"What do you want, Hermione?" Lavender said as she was face to face with her.

"The truth."

Lavender took in a deep breath. She had a secret hidden deep inside of her, but there was no way she was going to give it out loud to Hermione. Nervously, she paced in place and turned around.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lavender spoke.

A firm hand grabbed her shoulder and forcefully turned her around.

"Don't lie to me!" Hermione yelled to her face. "I want the truth and you have it!"

Lavender pulled her self backwards, away from her.

"First of all, don't touch me. Secondly, what do you want me to say Hermione!" Lavender squealed. She was sobbing now. She never had this much irony against her. Of course they both hated each other last year, but Lavender had grown past that now. She wasn't used to this raging Hermione in front of her. Right now, she was nothing but a stranger.

"You have the truth, I know it!" Hermione's face was so close to her now. They could see their own reflection in each others eyes. Lavender started to cry harder as Hermione shook her shoulders.

"Fine! I'll tell you," Lavender bellowed. Hermione let her go and Lavender took a few steps back.

Her face was red and wet from all of her crying. She had trouble controlling her tears as Hermione looked at her. Since she was a little girl, she had asthma. Whenever she was scared, worried or sad, she got trouble breathing; and now it is how she was feeling. Lavender tried to take in deep breaths so that she could speak, but she just ended up heaving.

"Calm down," Hermione said, already irritated and leaned against the railing.

"I can't," Lavender managed to choke out. Because they both were to loud, Hermione constantly looked around to make sure that no one was around. As Hermione turned her head around as a soft noise came from above, Lavender tripped Hermione by her leg and started to run down the stairs. Hermione groaned in pain as she saw a bruise already forming on her knee. Thankfully, she was holding on to the railing and didn't roll down the stairs like Draco.

"The secret is mine to keep!" Lavender screamed as she ran. A smirk ran across her face as she turned around and saw Hermione still sitting there on the steps, holding her leg. For the first time, she was glad that she had asthma. It was a perfect way to escape.

Hermione stared at Lavender as she ran away. Did she really think that she won't find the secret from her. Hermione had her ways. There was a reason why they called her the smarted witch of her time.


	9. Chapter 9

(February 12, 2011)

"This time won't you save me  
This time won't you save me  
Baby I can feel myself giving up  
This time won't you save me  
This time won't you save me  
Baby I can feel myself giving up"  
_**Save Me- Nicki Minaj**_

Draco Malfoy wrapped his fur coat around him tightly as he walked out of Hogwarts. He stopped walking and watched as every single head that was in front of him was no longer in view. Today was the day where the school allowed the seventh year students go to Hogsmeade for the quickly approaching, yet dreadful holiday, Valentines Day. He didn't want to go to Hogsmeade and watch the sicking view of girls pouring their hearts out to their loved ones while the guys pour out their wallets for the girls' gifts. It was bad enough that he had to go through the same thing during Christmas with mistletoe toes hanging at ever single corner.

Months had went by since the last time he was dealing with the whole mystery of the photographs. He didn't want to be part of it any longer. He called off the fake relationship with Hermione, he stopped caring when he received many of those tormenting letters, and he ignored Hermione ever since.

The month of February was still cold even if Spring was just a few weeks away. Draco shook his head as he saw soft snowflakes fall onto the ground. He took out his scarf and wrapped it around his neck and walked towards Hogsmeade while trotting behind the large group in front of him. From where he was, he had a great view of every one, and that was what he wanted. No matter how hard he tried to keep his mind away from the mystery that he had at the beginning of the year, he couldn't stay away from it. He looked at the students reactions as they were leaving the safe Hogwarts premises. He hoped for something out of the ordinary but was quickly disappointed. The only thing that he saw was the repeatable sight of couples holding each others hands and snuggling into one another. Let it be known, Draco hates February.

Draco didn't only follow behind everyone else to spy on them, but also to keep away from Hermione. He couldn't stop his mind from wondering back to the many weeks ago to the day when he spoke to her about his sudden decision.

_Hermione limped back to her way back to her common room but failed miserably as Draco came out of nowhere and saw her limping. Weakly, Hermione sat down on the cold gravel floor not wanting to go any longer._

"_What happened?" Draco asked, wide awake from the look on her face._

"_I- I don't know," Hermione whimpered and touched her leg._

"_You don't know?" Draco asked questioningly and knelled down next to her. _

_He saw blood flowing down her leg, staining her while stockings. _

"_Hermione," he said not knowing what else to say._

"_This person is out to get us Draco. I- I was just walking from the library and I saw lavender. So I went up to her and had a quick talk. When we were done talking, I don't know, I saw someone or something standing by the corner. I asked who was there but then the next thing I know, everything went blank and I woke up on the floor with this bruise on my leg," Hermione spat out all at once. _

_Draco looked at her, not really believing her fully. Draco blinked and looked down at the floor._

_Hermione lifted her hand and lifted his head._

"_What's wrong?" she asked._

_Draco licked his lips and stood up. _

"_I don't want to do this anymore," he said sternly. _

"_What?" Hermione whispered. _

"_There will be no more of me and you. I am calling quits. When we are 'together', worse things have been happening. I don't want to be part of this any longer and I think it's best we go back to how things were between me and you." Draco didn't look at her as he spoke, but he could already imagine how hurt she felt. Draco walked away without looking back and leaving her behind. _

He searched for the certain wild head of brown curly hair within the massive group in front of him. It was almost impossible with the numerous amounts of many different hats on peoples head but he managed to find her. Since the break, the rumors started to buzz around him from the many students. Instead of making him mad of what people thought, it actually entertained him on what people thought. People just think of the darn-est things these days.

Draco kept his eyes on her for the whole walk to Hogsmeade. He watched the way she talked to her close friends; he watched how she always seemed to look another way, dazing off into space when someone started to talk to her. But what really irritated him the most was the look on her face. Every since he left, she looked different and he can't find out what.

Draco watched as the Weasley boy took her hand and lead her to Honeydukes candy store. For a moment Draco wondered how on earth that candy store appeared, but as he looked around, he saw that they were already in Hogsmeade.

Draco didn't bother walking into the many heart decorated stores, but instead window shopped. With his mind lost into nothing, he stared blankly at a heart shaped ring on a stores window gallery. Nothing about that ring drawled his attention. He just looked at it because it was something to look at. Clueless to his surrounding, a hand grabbed his and pulled him to an alley between two stores.

Draco shook the hand off of his as he stood in the middles of the abandoned alley.

"What do you want Pansy?" Draco asked and fixed his gloves.

Pansy smiled her sexy smile and took off her black leather gloves.

"You of course," she said simply.

Draco rolled his eyes and stared at the girl in front of him. After Winter Break, Pansy's image had changed completely. She apparently grown into a beautiful woman. Her face had grown into a more sculptural look, as shown now before him. Her long straight black hair was tied into a high bun on top of her head; her skin glowed even in this winter time; her dark brown eyes were covered in smokey eyed make up that made her eyes pop; her physique had curved well; her wardrobe had gone all black with hints of green ever so often. She looked stunning in front of him. She wore a long black coat, black high heeled boots with black laced stocking, and a green scarf around her neck. Exactly like how a highly sexy sophisticated woman should look like. But no matter how hot Pansy had gotten, he could never go back to her.

Pansy held her leather gloves in one hand, and put her other hand behind his neck. Draco didn't try to stop her, knowing that if he did, then she would enjoy it more.

"I know that deep down you want me too," she cooed as she ran her hand with her gloves down his chest. Her spicy yet flattering perfume filled his nostrils as she leaned towards him and his back was against the store's wall. He didn't object but only groaned as she forcefully pushed him against the wall.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" Pansy roared.

Draco smirked. He knew that she would get upset if he was just going to let her put her self onto him.

"Because I don't want you."

Pansy let go of his shoulders and took a step back.

"Look at me Malfoy. Look at what I have become. I'm sexy. Most guys would kill to be in your place right now," Pansy spoke as she twirled around and glared at him.

"I know Pansy, but I'm not one of them." Draco retracted himself from the wall and took a couple of steps away from her.

"Why?" she asked.

Draco stopped walking and faced her.

"Why? Pansy you did this all to your self. You are the one that decided to embarrass me that day, you're the one that kissed Goyle in front of everyone. If you would've just suck it all up, you would've still be mine. But now, I don't want you anymore. You showed me who you truly are," Draco said and watched Pansy bite her lip.

"And you think you're any better?" She took a step towards him. "I have been there for you ever since! Or have you forgotten? But you have treated me like crap. I just wanted you to feel like how I felt when you embarrassed me the many times."

Draco knew that he was an ass towards her, but that was how he was to everyone. He couldn't help himself before Hermione. Somehow Hermione changed him and made him less tormenting. Pansy walked towards him and put her hand behind his neck. He didn't object not because he knew it would drive her crazy but because he didn't want to. He knew that he hurt her and that's why she went for Goyle.

Draco looked at Pansy sexy face and saw how hard she was trying to hold back her tears. She was always good at that. Holding back her feelings and hiding it from everyone, it just showed how truly strong she was.

"What about Goyle? Don't you think he will be upset on you for cheating?" Draco asked as she was inches away from kissing him. Pansy stopped and looked up at him with fire in her eyes.

"Goyle? This is what comes to your mind? What about me? Had you ever thought of me when you cheated on me many times? About how I felt, knowing that you were out at night kissing someone else." Pansy lifted her hand and slapped him across the face.

Draco grabbed her hand and pushed her against the wall, hard. He locked her shoulder against the wall so that she won't get away from his grasp. Pansy looked up at him, her chest heaving, with an arched eyebrow.

"What, you're going to hit me now?" she asked. "You must really want to with that twitch in your eyes. You see, I know everything about you. I know when you are mad, I know when you get disappointed, I know when you are happy, I even know when you are hurt. To me you are an open book. Could that Granger girl ever read you like how I could? Could she see your emotions and know how you are feeling without you uttering a single word?"

Pansy lifted her hand and gently touched his cheek.

"I know you want to kiss me right now. I can read it off your face. You know that me and you belong together, we always have. Even with me and Goyle and you with Granger, we always find a way back to each other," Pansy whispered to him. She saw his veins appearing on his pale face. "You want to hit me, but you won't. You're fighting it back because you know I'm right."

Draco took his hands off of her shoulders and took in a couple of deep breaths. Pansy parted her lips to speak more but nothing could come out but tears. She formed her lips in a line as she saw him taking a couple of steps away from her and turning around.

Draco didn't want to look at her any longer. She was fooling around with his mind. But what really irritated him the most was whether or not she was right.

Pansy got her back from the wall and ran towards Draco. She stopped right in front of him and looked at him briefly. Draco saw her tears running down her pretty face.

"I could save you Draco," she said softly.

"From what Pansy?" Draco whispered.

"From everything," she said.

Pansy stood on her toes, leaned towards him and kissed him. Once again, he didn't object mainly because this time he didn't want to. The kiss was a little wet from her tears, but he didn't mind. He picked her up and she linked her legs around his waist and her hands behind his neck. This was the first time that Pansy and him kissed like this before.

He let Pansy's feet go and they stood together as Pansy kissed him on the cheek. He wrapped her hands around his chest and hugged him. Draco hugged her back and could already imagine the huge mess he got himself into.

**~o~**

Hermione stood by the building, watching Pansy and Draco kiss. She didn't know what else to do. She knows that her and Draco were never really together. The sight in front of her disgusted her fully. No matter how gorgeous Pansy got, she was still a pig.

"Hermione," a voice called her name.

Hermione looked one last time at them and turned around. Ron, Ginny, and Harry were waving her over to the warm pub.

Hermione smiled and ran over to her friends, not letting the image of what she had seen, go.

**~o~**

Goyle came back to his bedroom, taking off his huge coat and sat down on his bed. He started to take off his wet socks while managing a cookie in his mouth. It was dark outside and just a few moments ago, everyone had to go back to Hogwarts.

Goyle sat at the edge of his bed, aching to get into a warm bath, but a white envelope caught his attention. It was laying on his pillow so with out hesitation, he opened it.

_This little piggy went to the market, this little piggy went to the playground, and this little piggy kissed a boy that wasn't you. I'm afraid she lost her meaty appetite and wanted something more app-**lean**-ing._

A photo was attached and it showed a picture of Pansy kissing Draco.

Goyle spit out his cookie onto the floor and ran down the stairs into the common room.

"Where's Malfoy?" he roared.

The Slytherins shook the heads not knowing where he was and went back to what they were doing.

Goyle grabbed a fourth year boy and shook his body.

"Where's Malfoy!" he screamed into the kid's face.

"I- I don't know. The last time I saw him he was walking up the stairs," the boy stuttered. Goyle let go of him and threw him onto the ground.

He shoved people out of his way and walked as fast as he could out of the common room searching for a certain Slytherin.


	10. Chapter 10

(February 13, 2011)

"What I've done  
I've faced myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done"  
_**What I've Done- Linkin Park**_

Goyle crunched the photograph and the letter in his fist as he ran down the stairs. It was late and barely anyone dared to be in the halls. Tomorrow is going to the Valentines ball and if anyone got in trouble, then they won't get to attend. But at this rightful moment, Goyle didn't care. He had to find Draco and beat the crap out of him for kissing his girlfriend.

"You, what do you think your doing?" a voice called behind him.

Goyle turned around and faced Harry who was the Head Boy.

"Don't you know that you aren't allowed to roam the halls this late? And to at least put some decent clothes on?" Harry said as he looked at Goyle.

Goyle was wearing only a white t-shirt with green boxers and socks.

Goyle didn't say anything but he did sneer. He turned around and walked back up the stairs while pushing Harry out of his way and returned back to his common room. Harry shook his head and continued to do his Head Boy duties.

**~o~**

It was the big night, the Valentines Day Ball. Couples were being close to one another, kissing, exchanging gifts, and more kissing. Every corner you turned, you will be sure to find someone kissing. Draco made sure to ignore Goyle the whole day. He knew something was up with him, when he saw the evil glare he had been giving him the whole entire time during breakfast. Goyle barely even ate, which meant that something was really wrong. Draco finished eating before anyone and left the table. He couldn't stand hearing another topic of the ball later that night. He understood that people were so excited but did they really have to talk about it to that much of an extent? By the time lunch rolled around, barely any of the girls attended because they were to busy getting ready for the ball. Draco still debated whether or not he should go. He's not a big fan of dances and he surely didn't dance.

**~o~**

"Oh my Hermione! That dress looks exquisite on you!" Ginny chirped as Hermione stepped out of the bathroom with her full gown on. She felt the soft fabric and the lace from her dress. It was a cream colored strapless ball gown. The bodice had small white beads that were sewed on to look like flowers swirling around her bodice. The dress fell from her hips with layers of lace. The bottom half of the dress was puffed out and the layers of lace stopped at the side of the dress and there were many little beads forming small flowers.

"You really think so?" Hermione giggled while twirling around.

"Yes, I really do," Ginny said. "What shoes are you going to wear?"

Hermione walked over to her closet and picked out a pair of white stilettos. The back of the heel had a red bow on it and the bottom of the shoe is all red. Hermione put them on and walked over to Ginny.

"Wow! Those are so pretty!"

Hermione smiled and sat down on her bed.

"Okay, now it's your turn to put on your dress. Then we could do our hair and make up together," Hermione said.

Ginny got off of the bed and picked up her dress and walked into the bathroom. A few moments later, Ginny walked out with her dress on. It was a long red silky dress. The dress fit her chest nicely and then it was nicely fitted around her wait and then it flowed straight down. Ginny turned around and it was backless.

"Oh my god! Harry will seriously melt when he see's you in this!" Hermione said while standing up and walking around Ginny.

"Ginny this dress is so sexy!"

Ginny laughed and picked up the dress to show her shoes. She was wearing simple high black stilettos.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you guys did it tonight. Those shoes are called sex shoes for a reason," Hermione laughed while Ginny gently shoved her.

Looking at their reflection in the mirror, they both carefully put their make up on. Hermione got liquid liner and by her upper lash line, she did a classic cat eye look and she put on red lipstick. Ginny on the other hand, did some black smokey eyed makeup that made her green eyes really pop, then she put on some nude lipstick on. Ginny braided her hair into a french braid while Hermione straightened her hair that fell past her elbows. The girls looked at their finished look and smiled. Ginny walked over to the bed to pick up her purse and saw the time.

"Hermione, it's already 7:30. The ball started thirty minutes ago," Ginny said and the girls quickly left the common room.

**~o~**

Draco looked at himself in the mirror. He looked exactly how a highly sophisticated aristocrat should look like. He wore a simple black and white tuxedo that made him look like a complete gentleman. Draco took one more look at himself and sighed. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be a good night. He saw a black laced gloved hand appear on his shoulder with a diamond ring on it's middle finger. Then seconds later, Pansy's face appeared. Her hair was tied up into a 1950's up-do and her perfect side bangs covered half of her forehead. This time, her make up wasn't extreme like how she usually put it, but it looked more natural.

"Are you ready?" she asked Draco with her devil red lips.

Draco nodded his head and took her hand and took a look at her. Her dark navy blue gown was a haltered top that had a heart shaped bodice. The dress was tight around the waist while it flowed out up until her knees. Around her waist was a satin fabric that tied into a bow at the back of the dress. The dress looked exactly like how a 1950's ball gown would look like. Like every other in the school, she wore stilettos but her were fully red.

"Wow, you look amazing," Draco said as he did a double take on her. He didn't lie, she really did look amazing.

Pansy smiled and they both walked out of the common room to the Ball.

**~o~**

Goyle stood by the punch bowl, with a cup in his hand. He was like a sniper at a war zone, waiting for his target to come in and finish him.

"Where's Pansy?" Blaise asked as he poured himself some punch.

Goyle huffed and took a sip of his glass.

"Isn't she your girlfriend?" Blaise asked.

Goyle didn't respond but he did turn around a faced him.

"Is this fun for you?" Goyle asked.

"I told you from the very beginning that you and her won't work out," Blaise said and took a sip.

"Shut up," Goyle muttered and turned his attention back to the dance. People were dancing every where. The Great Hall had turned into a marvelous place. Hearts were hanging off the ceiling with candles next to them. The house tables were gone and the floor turned into a big dance floor. The band was playing music so loudly that even the screams of people trying to communicate with one another was muffled with the sound of music.

"Don't do anything stupid Goyle," Blaise muttered and walked back to the dance floor. For a moment Goyle wondered whether or not Blaise got himself a date, but then that thought drifted away as he saw Draco and Pansy enter.

**~o~**

"I'm going to go get a drink," Hermione screamed to her friends that weren't even paying attention to her but to their dates. Ginny was dancing with Harry who couldn't keep his hands off of her; Ron was dancing with Lavender a few feet away which the sight made her sick. Hermione managed to make her way through the crowd and walked over to the punch bowl. To her dislike, Goyle was standing there.

"Excuse me," she said while reaching for a glass but he didn't move. Hermione rolled her eyes and got a glass. She faced the crowd and she didn't stop looking until she found who she was searching for. Lavender's head came to view and she saw her smiling face looking at Ron. Then, she saw her lean in and kiss him. Hermione gritted her teeth and clenched her glass in her hand. To her dismay, Goyle did the same thing, and both of their glasses smashed in their hands. Hermione gasped and they both looked at each other. Goyle sneered and dropped the remaining glass pieces on the floor and walked away. Hermione shook her head and cleaned up the mess. Once she was done with the mess, she saw where Goyle stormed off to. She already knew who that blonde head was a mile away. Then, she looked back at her friends and she saw lavender leaving the dance floor.

**~o~**

"Who do you think you are Malfoy?" Goyle snarled into Draco's face.

"Goyle, stop it," Pansy said as she held onto Draco's arm.

"Draco Malfoy, that's who," Draco said sternly into Goyle's face.

Goyle shoved Draco which resolved him to stumble backwards. Pansy held onto him and caught his balance. She let go of his arm and stood in between them both.

"Goyle stop it," Pansy hissed.

Goyle sneered and pushed Pansy out of the way.

"I'll deal with you later," he said and took a step towards Draco.

Pansy grabbed Goyle's hand and pulled him backwards.

"Draco, was just escorting me Goyle. Nothing else. Here take my hand and we'll go dance together," Pansy said.

"Just escorting? Yeah well, that's not what this photograph looks like," he said while showing them the photograph.

Draco shook his head while Pansy just stared at it with her mouth wide open. Draco turned around and started to walk away.

"Hey, where do you think you're going. I'm not done with you," Goyle screamed and followed him while pushing Pansy backwards. "You stay here," he ordered Pansy.

**~o~**

Hermione walked back to the dance floor, squeezing herself through the bodies.

"Hey, where have you been?" Ginny asked while catching her breath.

"At the punch bowl table," Hermione said.

Ron ran into the group and took a few seconds to catch his breath. Harry walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Have any of you seen Lavender?" Ron heaved out. Everyone shook their heads.

"Why?" Ginny asked.

"She never came back. She said she was going to the bathroom but then when I went to go check up on her, the girls told me she wasn't in there. I've been searching for her the whole time. I can't find her."

Worried looks appeared on Harry's and Ginny's face.

"Let us help you find her," Hermione said and they all went their own ways and looked for her.

**~o~**

Hermione walked up the moving staircases searching for Lavender. She disliked Lavender a lot. She asked herself, why should she go help the others find her. Hermione groaned as her feet already started to hurt for she had been walking in her heels the whole night.

"Have you found her yet?" a voice called behind her.

Hermione turned around and saw Ron standing there.

"Nope not yet," Hermione said simply.

They both looked at one another, the space around them filling up with awkward silence.

"I really appreciate you helping me find her. It truly means a lot to me, Hermione," Ron said while looking down at the ground.

Hermione walked down the stairs to him and stopped right in front of him.

"You know I still care about you Ron," Hermione said softly and reached out for his hand. As her hand was just about to touch his, he moved it out of her reach. Hermione gasped and turned around.

"But I see you still don't care for me, but Lavender," Hermione snarled and began to walk up the stairs.

"Hermione, you don't understand," Ron said but his voice trailed off because she was running away from him.

While running on the gravel floor, she tripped on her heels and fell hard onto the floor. Hermione groaned in pain as she took off her shoe. She held it up in front of her and saw that her heel was broken.

"Great, just great," Hermione huffed.

Sorely, she picked her self up and was just about to turn the corner but quickly stopped and hid by the wall. She sank herself down and went on her knees. She poked her head out from the corner and saw the scene in front of her.

Draco was walking down the hall, his coat gone which showed his white dress shirt. He was pacing back and forth by the window while mumbling something to himself. He stopped walking and held his head in his hands. Few moments later, he stood up straight and turned around. For the first time, Hermione really got a good look at him and gasped. His hair was a mess, his shirt was half tucked in and half out, his faced looked more paler that ever, but what really surprised her was that his shirt was covered in blood.

Hermione got up on her feet and moved away from the corner, closer to him. Draco being his oblivious self, didn't see her at all. She, then stopped walking as she saw what was in front of him on the floor. A person lay on the floor. The bad part was that she wasn't moving. Hermione saw that awful blue dress earlier that night. Who else would have the guts to choose a dress of that kind. There was no doubt in her mind that the person that was lying on the floor was Lavender Brown.

Draco knelled down next to her and picked up her bloody hand, then he quickly released it. She was for a fact, dead.

"What did you do?" Hermione asked.

Draco quickly got up and stood there, not knowing what to do, as he stared at Hermione.


	11. Chapter 11

(February 16, 2011)

"You and I walk a fragile line  
I have known it all this time  
But, I never thought I'd live to see it break  
It's getting dark and its all too quiet  
And I can't trust anything now  
And it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake"  
_**Haunted- Taylor Swift **_

"What have you done?" Hermione repeated herself while taking a step back.

"No, Hermione wait, this isn't what it looks like," Draco said, taking a few steps closer to her.

"Stop, I don't want you near me," she said while extending her hand out.

"Hermione, listen. I don't know what happened, I- I didn't do this," Draco blurted out but she didn't want to listen anymore.

She put her hands to her ears to muffle out his voice but she could still hear him.

"I just turned the corner and I see a person lying on the floor. I walk over to see if she was alright but she was already dead," Draco said, walking up to her while speaking.

"Then please do explain how on earth you have her blood all over your shirt!" she screamed out.

"Shh," Draco hissed and then took a look around if anyone was near.

"Don't you dare tell me to shush!" Hermione turned around and started to run down the stairs, far away from him as possible. Unfortunately, he followed her. He called her name many times while running after her, but she didn't stop. Once outside, Hermione hesitated a bit to where she was going to run off to, but Draco was already behind her and grabbed her.

"Let go of me!" she screamed. She began to kick her legs up in the air as he held onto her, making her big dress go everywhere.

Draco stood frozen for a while, ignoring her cries and stared at her shoes.

"Let go of me!" she screamed once again. Her cry made him look at her and then take in a big gulp.

"N-Not until you hear me out," he said.

"No, I don't need to hear anything from you! Lavender Brown is dead because you killed her," she screamed.

"I didn't kill her!" he screamed in rage.

He got tired of her attempts of letting him go, so he fell to the floor and pinned her down while being on top off her.

"You're going to ruin my dress," she said while struggling underneath him.

"Hermione, let me say this one more time so that it would stick in your stubborn head. I did not kill her!"

"Really? Then who did?" she said in mockery.

"I don't know." Draco let his head fall.

A moment of silence fell in between them. Hermione finally stopped fidgeting for a way to escape and let his words sink into her head.

"I don't know," he said once more and this time his voice broke.

Hermione felt a tear drop on her neck as he said that. Hermione looked up to see his face, and behind his head dull of blonde hair, she saw that he was indeed crying. Hermione formed her lips in a thin line, stopping herself from letting her emotion take over her. But sadly, it failed.

"Draco, I'm scared," she said softly as she moved his bangs away from his face to look into his lost gray eyes.

He didn't reply, but nodded his head in agreement.

"Do you think this person will kill one of us next?" Hermione asked the dreaded question.

"The thing is Hermione, if the person did kill Lavender, why did he or she do it?" Draco whispered.

"Maybe she had some information or something that the person wanted," Hermione mumbled.

"Like what?" Draco asked.

Hermione looked up at him and shook her head. "I don't know."

"What are we going to do?" Draco whispered. Never in his life had he killed someone, not even at the battle of Hogwarts. He tried his best not to kill someone he knew. He wasn't willing enough to kill the headmaster or even look at his muggle studies teacher die, what on earth would make him kill his own classmate?

A scream erupted from the castle that made Draco and Hermione shiver. Someone had found Lavender's body. Then, more screamed erupted.

Draco took in a deep gulp, already freaking out of what's going to happen next.

"Hermione!" a voice screamed out loud from above. Draco quickly got off of her and they both stood on the ground, looking up at the tall astronomy tower. Harry was moving his hands frantically and kept calling out her name. As quickly as he appeared, he disappeared into the castle.

"I- I have to go," Hermione said softly, brushing past him as she ran towards the castle.

Draco stood a couple of moments, watching Hermione run into the castle.

**~o~**

A crowd was forming around Lavender's body. Some girls were crying hysterically and other just stared at her body too stunned to do anything.

Draco was at the end of the crowd, not wanting to be in the front. He had seen enough of Lavender's body, he didn't need to see more.

A hand grabbed his and pulled him a few feet away from the crowd.

"I appreciate what you did for me, Draco," Pansy whispered into his ear from behind him. She let go of his hand and then disappeared into the crowd. Draco looked for her, but instead he found her with Goyle. Pansy stood by his side, stroking his cheek. She quickly glanced up at Draco and gave a faint smile. She removed her hand from his face and saw the damage that he did to it. Goyle's face was badly bruised. If anything, his face was so purple, he closely resembled an eggplant. Goyle's left eye was swollen, red and barely open. His nose looked deformed and dry blood was plastered all over his face.

Draco winced as he examined what he had done.

"_Malfoy, don't you dare walk away from me when I am talking to you!" Goyle screamed from behind him. Draco ignored his commentary completely and continued walking up to the staircases. _

"_Malfoy, turn around and face me like a man!" Goyle yelled._

_Once Draco had reached the top of the staircase, he turned around._

"_Goyle, I am more of a man than you even if I had a dress on," Draco said and crossed his arms. _

_Goyle's face turned deep red, either from the many steps he took or from the comment Draco said. _

"_What make you think that you could take my girlfriend away from me?" Goyle demanded._

"_As far as I'm concerned, she came to me," Draco said. "After all, I certainly don't see why she wouldn't."_

_Goyle breathed hard out of his nostrils and pushed Draco backwards. He fell onto the floor but then quickly got up._

"_Is this what you want Goyle? You surely do know I am stronger than you!" Draco bellowed in fury as he punched Goyle in the face. The two boys fell onto the floor and they both started to beat each other. After a few moments, Draco's coat was gone, blood was stained on his shirt, his knuckles were bleeding and badly bruised, and his temper had went past his limit. Goyle on the other hand, lay still underneath Draco, covering his head with his hands._

_Draco had so much anger in him from the past months, that he took it all out on Goyle's face. He couldn't stop himself. _

_A hand touched his shoulders and he felt himself being pulled back._

"_Draco, enough," Pansy said._

_Draco still wanted to beat him up, make him suffer but Pansy held him back._

_Draco stood up and walked back into the wall. He watched Pansy help Goyle up, soothing him with her words and lead him downstairs._

Goyle turned his face towards Draco's direction and sneered. All Draco could do was smile because in the first time, he had a chance to let all of his fury out on somebody.

**~o~**

Hermione watched from a far distance at Ron who was helping carry Lavender's body out from the hallway, with a smile on her face.


	12. Chapter 12

(February 19, 2011)

"And the risk that might break you  
Is the one that would save  
A life you don't live is still lost  
So stand on the edge with me  
Hold back your fear and see  
Nothing is real 'til it's gone"  
_**Before It's Too Late- Goo Goo Dolls **_

Azkaban. The most dreaded place in all of the wizardry world. Just saying it out loud, sends shivers up and down a person's body. Criminals, traitors, and failures are just some of the people that lie behind those molding stone walls, including Draco's parents. Behind those walls, he could already picture the two of them, miserable with where they are, and hoping to get out out there anytime soon. But as Draco stands under the pouring rain, he could already see him standing next to them, in that tiny triangular cell.

Draco walked over to the tree that had the mysterious message on it, many months ago. The pouring rain fell down on him, making it difficult for him the walk over to that tree. It was late at night and as far as he was concerned, everyone was snuggled up in their warm beds. Finally reaching that tree, Draco placed his hand on the trunk where the message would have been. He hated to admit it, but what that message said was true. As hard as he tried to deny it, he knew that it would soon happen. _A tree links life and as far as I know, death eaters don't. They link towards Azkaban, just like your parents, _repeated in side his head many times. Draco clutched his head in his hands, and sank himself down to the muddy ground. He couldn't care less if his clothes were ruined, that would be the last thing he would think about.

He couldn't stop the many tears that were now falling down his face mixing in with the rain. This was the second time in his whole life were he felt so vulnerable. The first time was back in his sixth year at the bathroom when he couldn't figure out how to make Voldemort's plan seek through. Draco tilted his head back, letting it hit against the tree's trunk; letting the rain pour in his face, washing away his tears; letting his mind wander back to that every mourning that made him be in the state that he was in right now.

_Just the morning after Lavender's death, the Minister of Magic walked through the Hogwarts doors. He was oblivious to Lavender's death mainly because he wasn't informed by it, and also that his mind was to occupied with what he came there for. _

_Draco was sitting in his charms class, his mind drifting farther and farther from the lesson he was suppose to be listening too. Fortunately for him, he wasn't the only one. _

_Lavender's death had hit everybody hard. Her friends were poring their eyes out at her funeral last night and still crying the next morning; Ron was so broken that he forgot to put his clothes on, so he walked out to class with only a t-shirt and boxers on; and everybody was scared because the killer was still out there and it could be right there with them. _

_It surprised Draco that they still had to attend classes as if nothing ever happened. But he knew that the professors were trying to figure out who the murder was. _

"_Mr. Malfoy," a distant voice called him. _

_Draco looked up and saw Professor McGonagall standing by the doorway. The whole class had turned quiet except for the few whisperers that asked each other if he was the killer. Draco shook his head for the arrogance and stood up. He didn't even have to ask why he was being called out of class. He figured that everyone would soon be and that he was just the first one. Draco walked down the classroom, making every head turn. As he passed by Hermione's table, he made sure to walk by quickly. He saw her smiling at Lavender's body last night. If anything, he didn't want to be anywhere near her. _

_But as he walked by her table, Hermione grabbed his hand that made him stop._

"_Good luck," she whispered which soon followed with a small smile._

_Draco smiled back and continued with his walk of dome. _

_**~o~**_

"_I believe that you know why you are sitting here before me," Cornelius Fudge asked as he was sitting in the Headmaster's chair in the former Dumbledore's office. Cornelius Fudge got his position back as the minister of magic after Rufus Scrimgeour died. He returned everything back to 'normal' after Voldemort died. _

_Draco sat uncomfortably in the small chair in front of Fudge, while Professor McGonagall stood behind him. _

"_I surely do hope that I am not right," Draco said emotionally. So this wasn't going to be about the murder from last night, but about him going to Azkaban. Since day one, he had been patiently waiting for the Ministry of Magic to make their final decision with whether or not Draco was going to go to Azkaban with his parents._

"_The question is whether or not you and the ministry have figured out what you are going to do with Mr. Malfoy." Professor McGonagall said sternly and walked over to the desk. _

_Fudge crossed his hands on the table and looked up at the old witch. _

"_I'm sorry to say that we haven't fully made up our minds, but as far as I'm concerned, the odds are not in favor for Mr. Malfoy here," Cornelius said._

_Draco shook his head and slumped back into the tiny chair. He did not want to go to Azkaban._

"_Do inform me on why I have to go," Draco muttered under his breath._

"_Because, evidence show that you were part of Voldemort's followers. No one should even be allowed to be out in this city by the status you were in. Consider yourself grateful that you aren't there right now," Cornelius snarled loudly and almost got up from his seat._

"_No need for you to rise a temper, Cornelius." Professor McGonagall grabbed Draco's hand and lead him out of his chair. "I have watched this boy my self, and he has done nothing wrong since he came back. Now, if you're willing to put an innocent boy to prison all because he life was on the line, then I can't be here standing before you. Come back when you have officially made your final decision."_

_Cornelius sat there with his mouth open and watched them leave._

"_Don't worry my dear, I will do everything it takes for you not to be in Azkaban. A child shoulder never even be considered to be placed in there," Professor McGonagall said as they both walked down the hall. _

Draco opened his eyes after that memory had finished. Here he was, all alone with nothing else to look forward too. His parents were in Azkaban, a stranger likes to stalk and ruin his life, he doesn't even know if Hermione was still in his life, Pansy is slowly starting to appear in it again, and that he is soon on his way to Azkaban.

Cornelius Fudge said that they haven't made their final decision yet, but Draco is almost positive that it would involve Azkaban.

Draco stopped thinking about his current problem and started to focus on his surroundings. Something didn't seem right to him. He had an eerie and tense feeling around him. A twig snapped somewhere that made Draco's heart pound.

Draco quickly stood up but then quickly fell down on his butt, making a splash from the muddy puddle. He looked up and saw a shadow of someone standing near him. The rain was falling down so hard that he couldn't even make out the person.

"What do you want?" Draco bellowed through the rain, but the person didn't say anything. Instead it kept walking towards him.

Draco tried to stand up but he couldn't. He looked down at his foot and saw that it was stuck under one of the tree's roots. He pulled his foot harder and harder but it just wouldn't come out.

"What do you want," Draco screamed again.

The person stopped walking for a moment, but only to uncover what was hidden in it's cloak. A shiny sliver blade shines through the rain that made Draco blink his eyes. After a few seconds on focusing what it was, Draco realized that it was a knife. The person continued walking towards him with the knife in it's hand.

"Holy shit," Draco muttered as he took out his wand. But just when he took it out, it slipped out of his fingers and rolled on the wet grass, far from his reach.

"What do you want from me!" Draco bellowed, tears starting to form already in his eyes.

"Draco!" a muffled voice called out his name.

"Leave me alone!" Draco screamed and covered his ears.

The stranger walked towards him and Draco could finally see it's face. Draco stood frozen, not knowing what to do with the person standing before him. He couldn't even believe his eyes.

"Draco!" a voice called his name again.

The sound of feet running through puddles appeared behind him and then arms were wrapped around him.

"Draco," Hermione sighed.

Draco quickly opened his eyes and saw that the stranger was gone.

"Where did he go?" Draco cried hysterically.

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"Where did he go?" Draco asked again and stood up which resolved him to fall back onto the muddy ground.

"Draco what's wrong? I saw you sitting here in the rain, then as I approach you and call out your name, you start screaming. What's wrong?" Hermione asked as she successfully pulled his foot out of the tree's root.

Draco looked at her and saw the worried look on her face. Her hair was wet, falling down past her elbows; her make up free eyes building up with worry; her night gown all muddy from the ground.

Draco shook his head, not wanting to sound exactly as how he felt, crazy. Hermione sat down on her knees in front of him and whipped away the tears from his eyes.

"Why won't you tell me?," she whispered and hugged him.

Draco sat there under the rain hugging Hermione, when just a few moments ago he was going to be killed. He was right, he had nothing else to look forward too anymore.

**~o~**

A wet cloaked person appeared at the Astronomy tower, dripping with water, and with a knife in it's hand. The cloaked person walked towards the middle of the tower where another person was standing in.

"You have done well," the person in the middle said as the cloaked person took off it's hood. "Goyle."

"Is there anything else you would like me to do?" Goyle asked as he dropped the knife on the floor.

The sound of the silver hitting the gravel floor clanged against the astronomy walls even with the rain pouring so hard.

"Yes, put the knife back," the person said and walked over the ledge. It stared down at the empty tree area and smiled.

"When you're done with that, put this under Professor McGonagall's door." The person turned around and handed a folded letter to Goyle.

Goyle nodded his head and walked out of the Astronomy tower, leaving the person to it's thoughts.


	13. Chapter 13

(February 20, 2011)

"It's time to lose your mind  
And let the crazy out  
(This place about to)  
Tonight we're taking names  
'Cause we don't mess around  
This place about to blow  
Blow"  
_**Blow- Kesha**_

A storm must be heading towards Hogwarts because it has been raining none stop. No one was allowed outside because the wind was so strong, even the Quidditch games and flying lessons were canceled. Professor McGonagall called all of the houses and professors for a mandatory meeting at the Great Hall. It was only six o'clock and by looking outside of the windows, it seemed like it was midnight.

Students and teachers got out of their classroom, talking to each other about the many thoughts of why this meeting was being called.

"Maybe Lavender's killer had been found," the Patil twins said to each other.

"Who cares, I'm all right just because we are getting out of class," a fourth year Slytherin said while passing the Patil twins. The twins shook their head towards the arrogant Slytherin and continued following the massive crowd towards the Great Hall.

**~o~**

"I wonder why they are calling us out of class for," Harry asked Hermione.

Hermione shook her head showing that she had no idea what for and took a look at Ron. He was still the same miserable child since Lavender's death.

"Ron, please don't be like this," Hermione begged as she grabbed his hand. Ron looked down at the ground not paying attention to Hermione.

"Ron," Hermione said but still time he just got his hand away from hers.

"Just leave me alone, Hermione," Ron muttered and crossed his arms.

"I'm just telling you not to be this sad person all of the time," Hermione barked.

"Hermione," Harry started but he was cut off by Ron.

"I know that you don't care about Lavender's death, But I do. I really liked her Hermione. Don't you understand that?" Ron huffed and walked away towards the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Ginny.

"I Just want him to be back to the same Ron. Is that too much to ask, Harry?" Hermione asked Harry.

Harry nodded his head and put his arm around her.

"I understand how you feel. But this takes time."

Hermione looked away from Harry and watched Draco at the Slytherin table. He was sitting next to Blaise and Pansy. He looked horrible. It seemed like he didn't have any type of sleep in the past few days. Pansy refilled her cup of juice and handed it over to Draco who just shook his head. Pansy sighed and took a sip.

Hermione took her attention away from them and walked to the Gryffindor table with knots in her stomach.

**~o~ **

"Quiet down please," Professor McGonagall ordered. In a moment, all of the student stopped having their own conversation and turned their attention to their Headmistress.

Draco looked up at Professor McGonagall and wondered why all of them were here.

"As you all know, there has been a tragic incident at Hogwarts. For a week I was hoping that the killer would show up and tell me who she or he was. Sadly no one had been willing to. Also, you all know about this person that has been sending photographs of our own two students all around school. I have found out who the killer is and I believe that the killer also sent around those photographs. I have proof so if I do call your name, don't try to object. The evidence is all in favor of you."

The whole great hall started to whisper to one another, asking each other who they think the killer is. Draco sat at the edge of his seat eager to see the person that ruined his last year at Hogwarts. How he wanted Professor McGonagall to call the name out already so the he could personally go on the stage and kill the person with his own bare hands.

Professor McGonagall raised her hand, a gesture most often used to quiet down the audience.

"Before I call the name out, there are a few things I would like to say. I am holding this meeting not because I am going against you, but that I believe that it is only fair for the whole school to know who you are. You have caused so much chaos in these walls, that you should suffer with this consequence. You were the last person on my mind whom I thought did all of this, but sadly I was wrong.

"I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself and allow you to stand up and turn yourself in. There surely will be consequences but not to extreme if I call out your name. I will give you two minutes to stand up and walk up to this stage."

Professor McGonagall turned around and walked over to the other professors. The students all started to talk uncontrollably and began to look around to see if anyone stood up.

"Who do you think it is?" Blaise asked Draco who was still sitting on the edge of his seat. He was ready to spring up and attack the person.

Two minutes ticked by and no one stood up. Professor McGonagall sighed and walked back to the pier.

"I see you have not taken this act of kindness." Professor McGonagall took something out of her pocket and unfolded the paper. She looked hard at the paper, forming her lips into a thin line. Tense silence was roaming that Great Hall. Every students was now sitting at the edge of their seats.

Professor McGonagall looked up and shook her head. She threw the paper out to the students. As the paper started to float down to the ground, Professor McGonagall called the name out.

"Draco Malfoy."

Gasped erupted through the Halls and every head turned to Draco.

Draco sat at the edge of this seat with his mouth wide open. There was no way that Professor McGonagall thought that he was behind all of this. Anger started to rise within him. He clutched the edge of the table to control his boiling anger. He was not the killer. How could Professor McGonagall even think that.

Many students got out of their seats and ran to the aisle where the paper fell. A student picked up the paper and raised it up in the air.

"He did kill that girl! This photo proves it all!" the kid shouted. Every one turned their attention towards Draco and began to run up to him.

"You will pay for this!" someone shouted within the crowd.

All the Slytherins left the table as the mob approached and only Draco sat in it. He stood up and faced the massive crowd.

"I didn't kill her!" Draco bellowed. His veins popped out from all of the stress he was experiencing.

"Murderer!" the crowd chanted and pushed the table out of their way. Draco took out his wand and aimed it to the crowd.

"Come closer and I soon will be a murderer!" Draco screamed. The crowd didn't listen and began to climb over the table to get to Draco.

Moments later, Draco felt hands pulling his clothes, flesh hitting against flesh (including his own to others), hair pulling, and the iron taste of blood in his mouth.

Draco growled as he hit someone hard against the head. The crowd was too large and Draco couldn't beat them all by himself.

Then out of no where, an explosion was heard up above them. One by one, the candles that where hanging by the ceiling were exploding and by every second it was getting darker. When all of the lights went out and the whole great hall became pitch black with a few exceptions of the lightening outside of the windows, Draco managed to get away from the crowd.

The crowd did an exceptional job on bruising Draco. He was slipping by everyone with out making a sound, up the aisle while limping.

"Hey! Where did he go!" someone shouted as they realized that he was gone.

With the help of the lightening bolts, Draco found the photograph that Professor McGonagall was holding and ran up the stage.

For a few seconds he looked at the photo and then quickly crumbled it up in his fist. The picture was taken when he was by Lavender's body, observing if she was dead or not and when blood was all over his shirt. Obviously, Professor McGonagall would think he was the killer. The photograph screamed the word killer but deep inside he knew he wasn't.

"Hey!" Draco screamed on top of the stage.

"There he is!" someone shouted and the huge crowd came running up to the stage. Draco took out his wand and cast a spell that would allow a force that would keep them a distance. As hard as the students tried, they couldn't get to him.

"This photograph is a lie! I didn't kill her and I need you guys to believe me!" Draco screamed out to the audience.

"Yeah and I wonder why there's blood all over your body."

Draco looked down at the crowd and saw the leader of the mob. It was a Gryffindor that he had never seen.

"I got into a fight, moments before this picture was taken," Draco bellowed. "Just ask Goyle, he's the one I fought with!"

The crowd looked around and Goyle was no where to be found.

"You have got to believe me! I am not a murderer!" Draco screamed just when strong arms were wrapped around him.

"No let go of me you beast!" Draco screamed as Hagrid dragged Draco off the stage.

His screaming were fainted into the hallways and Professor McGonagall walked up to the stage and stared into the darkness.

"Who blew up the candles?" she asked.

The room became quiet and looked around even thought they couldn't see anything.

"Everyone go to your common rooms and don't come out," she ordered and walked off the stage, following Hagrid.

**~o~**

The real killer stood by the wall watching Draco speak on top of the stage. His attempts to prove that he was innocent, amused the killer. The many lightening bolts made it easier to see Draco's expressions when he was being pulled off the stage.

Moments later, all of the students began to mumble as they walked down the aisles out of the Great Hall to their common rooms.

"Come on, we have to go," the killers friend said as it reached the killer.

The person nodded it's head and followed it's friend out of the Great Hall.

"Wow, that was intense. Do you really think that he was the killer?" the friend asked the killer while walking towards their common room.

"Maybe, the photograph looked pretty convincing," the killer said and smiled to itself.

The friend shrugged it's shoulders and continued to walk.

The person trailed a little behind its friend, smiling to itself. It amused the person that not even it's friend knew that it was the killer.


	14. Chapter 14

(February 27, 2011)

"Save me, I'm lost  
Oh lord, I've been waiting for you  
I'll pay any cost  
Just save me from being confused  
Wait, I'm wrong  
I can't do better than this  
I'll pay any cost  
Save me from being confused  
Show me what I'm looking for  
Show me what I'm looking for  
Show me what I'm looking for"_**  
Show Me What I'm Looking For- Carolina Liar**_

Draco sat at his table that was all the way at the back of Professor McGonagall's classroom. Hagrid stood by Professor McGonagall chalk board, watching his every move like he was a prison guard and Draco was the prisoner. Draco couldn't stand anymore of Hagrid's appearance. He hated him ever since day one and the hatred had never stopped. He couldn't even comprehend the idea of a person being in the same room with him for more than a minute. Sadly for Draco, he was in that dilemma. Just look at him. He's hairy, huge and has the intellectual being of a squirrel. But there was one thing the Draco lacked and that Hagrid had: a heart.

Draco groaned and hit his head against the counter top of his table. He was getting impatient and wanted Professor McGonagall to return to her classroom at that very instant. He wanted to explain to her that he wasn't the killer and that he was being set up by some one. But at the back of his mind, he knew that there was no way of get out of this. He didn't know who the killer was, the ministry probably already decided that he was going to Azkaban, and the photograph of him being next to Lavender's body seemed pretty convincing.

He never understood how his life could go from everything he wanted to a spiraling downfall. He could already imagine what his father would be thinking in his cell. He would be thinking how disappointed he was in his son, how if he was in his situation he would've found out who the person was the minute he got that first letter. Draco shook his head and hit his head one more time on his table. He could feel the blood rushing in his head.

"Stop doin' that," Hagrid warned Draco.

Draco, slightly, looked up with his chin on the table.

"Or what? You'll eat me?" Draco muttered, but still made sure that Hagrid heard.

"'Ow, don' talk to me like that. You 'iller. Thank Merlin, that ou'll fin'lly goin' be out of 'ere," Hagrid roared.

Draco rolled his eyes and then shut them.

"Speak proper English, you dumb wit," Draco said emphasizing on the last two words.

"You!" Hagrid yelled. He started to walk up to Draco's table and as he took his steps the ground shook beneath him.

"You can't even walk without tearing something down, can you?" Draco said and sat upright in his chair.

Hagrid stopped walking and squinted his face in fiery but then relaxed it in a few moment.

"I ain't gonna 'other wit' ya. Let the demons at Azk'ban get ya." With that Hagrid turned around and walked back to his position by the chalk board.

As he said that, Draco got shivers up and down his body and groaned. He was going to Azkaban after all.

After a few more moments of uncontrollable silence, Professor McGonagall walked into the room with a stern look on her face.

"You may now leave Hagrid. Thank you so much for your assistance," Professor McGonagall said and motioned her hand to the door. Hagrid nodded his head and gave one more glare at Draco, then left. Draco's stomach started to form knots. He had no clue with what she was going to tell him. Well he had an idea but other than that nothing. The main thing that was running through his mind was for him not to got o Azkaban. But sadly he knew that, that was a slim chance.

The moment Professor McGonagall closed her door, Draco stood up making his chair screech on the wood floors.

"I didn't do it!" Draco yelled.

Professor McGonagall faced the chalkboard and put her hand up, telling him to take a seat. Draco sighed and sat down while watching the tight bun on the back of her head.

"Words cannot describe how disappointed I am with you. I have fought for you, telling the Minister that a boy like you shouldn't be in a prison cell. Now, I am afraid that those words have come to haunt me. I believe that I am now standing in the same room with a killer." Professor McGonagall turned around and faced Draco. She looked tired. Dark circles were around her eyes, he wrinkles seemed to sink down deeper into her skin, her used to be neat bun now had strands of hair running from the bun, and her body was shaking. Draco felt pity for this old woman to fight for him and then have everything crumble down on her like dominoes.

"I didn't do it Professor McGonagall," Draco said.

"Do you have evidence that reason with your plea?" Draco slowly looked down at the ground knowing that he was losing badly. "See, you don't Mr. Malfoy."

Draco squinted as she called him by his last name.

Professor McGonagall sighed and took a moment to gather her thoughts into words.

"I'm sorry Draco, but Hogwarts is no longer your home. Pack your things tonight because tomorrow morning you will be in Azkaban with your parents," Professor McGonagall said in a calm tone. But for Draco, he was no where near calm.

"I'm not going! There is no way I'm going to Azkaban for something I didn't do. I am not a killer Professor McGonagall and you should know that! For Merlin's sake, I couldn't even kill Professor Dumbledore when he was alive. How could I kill a girl that was in classes? This is crazy and you know it!" Draco ran away from his table and was now standing in front of Professor McGonagall. "Please, don't let me go. Your making the biggest mistake in your whole life. I'm not the killer and if I leave, then the real killer would be inside these walls. Please Professor McGonagall, don't let me go."

Draco couldn't control the on going sobs after what he had said. He could care less if he was in this vulnerable state in public. Professor McGonagall shook her head, not wanting to be in that room.

"I'm sorry Draco, but it has been done. There is nothing else that we could do," Professor McGonagall said while holding Draco's shoulders. "Please, calm your self down. You have to be strong right now. If you truly haven't done it, then fate will take the way. But as of right now, the only thing you could do is pack your bags and go to sleep."

Professor McGonagall took one more look at Draco and took her hands of of his shoulders. She whispered an apology once more and walked out of the classroom, leaving him alone.

Draco started to get furious as he watched her leave. He went to her desk and threw everything on the floor. He picked it up and threw it a few feet away, he walk over to his desk and threw it against the wall. The resulting factor was that the whole room was demolished. Draco stood in the middle of the room and held his head in his hands. He began to have the biggest headache from all of the stress he's in. He, then, started to crumple down to the ground and started to cry.

His life is officially ruined. Professor McGonagall couldn't help him, his parents are locked away, the killer was still out there, and he was going to Azkaban. He really couldn't believe it. Two years ago, his life was perfectly fine. The only thing he had to worry about was winning his quidditch games and making Potter's life miserable. It was now official he hates his life.

A knock came from the door way that made Draco slightly jump. He was in no physical or emotional state to see anyone.

"Go away." Draco shouted and stood up. He faced the doorway and saw the person that entered.

"What do you want?" Draco asked softly.

Hermione eased away from the door and took a look around the room.

She formed her lips into a thin line and walked up to Draco.

Draco didn't even have to ask if she heard everything, just by the look on her face indicated that she did. Hermione took his hand and they both sat down on the floor.

"I can't believe this is happening," Draco muttered into Hermione's shoulder. Hermione didn't reply but she did rub his back in a comforting way.

After a few moments of silence, Hermione finally opened her mouth to speak.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

Draco shook his head because he didn't know what he was going to to. He couldn't run away because they will search for him which would then resolve for them to actually think he was the killer and serve more years in Azkaban, and he surely couldn't find a way to present to them the real killer because he had no clue whom it was. With all of those possibilities thrown away, he's only left with the option he hates. Going to Azkaban.

Draco stood up and helped Hermione on her feet.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked.

"Back to my room to pack my things and think some stuff through," Draco said.

He knew that he most likely won't be seeing her again. Just thinking about leaving her alone with the killer sent goosebumps throughout his body. Draco moved the loose strand on curls away from her face and cupped her chin.

"I'll keep my promise Hermione, I will find out who the killer is and I'll be sure to tell you the minute I find out. I can't leave you alone here." Draco lifted her chin, leaned in and kissed her. It was a long time since the last time they have kissed, mainly because of him. Draco kissed her softly but to his surprise, she didn't kiss him back. Draco looked down at her with his lips formed into a thin line. He then kissed her on her forehead after whispering once more the word promise.

Draco walked out of the classroom with his head in a daze. He had to figure out who the killer was, he just had too.

**~o~ **

Draco finished packing his last set of clothes and closed his suitcase with so much force. He hated the fact that it was already two in the morning and he still hadn't figured out anything. Draco laid down on his bed not bothering to take off his clothes. It wouldn't matter if he did. He still had to get up in five hours to change back into them and head to Azkaban.

For a few moments, Draco laid on his bed starring up at the ceiling with random scenes coming in and out of his mind. He sighed and rolled over to his side. He watched the curtains flow around from the opened window, heard the soft waves from the lake that was near by, and listened to the many snores of his room mates. He then closed his eyes and let the scenes replay themselves in his mind.

Inside his head was a mess. He remembered the first time he got his letter, he remembered the message on the tree, the photographs of him and Hermione, the time at Professor McGonagall's classroom for detention, the time the killer pushed him down the stairs, the times at the hospital and the time by the lake with the knife. As he kept replaying those memories, he couldn't help but feel that those things couldn't just happen.

He then started to think about Hermione. Why is it that she didn't get hurt like how he did? But Draco quickly shook his head for even thinking such a thought. She got letters too. Someone was also trying to ruin her life for no complete reason. Maybe the killer was saving her for last. Draco once again shook his head for thinking such a thing. He sat upright on his bed and held his head in his hands. Thinking about who the killer was getting him nauseous. It was terrible, the killer even made him feel this way without actually being next to him. Draco sat at the edge of the bed and faced the window. He let the cold breeze dry up the sweat drips that were running down his forehead and neck. But Draco couldn't stop. He had to figure out who it was. His life depended on it.

Moments later, Draco jumped of the bed. Everything made sense to him now. He couldn't believe that he hadn't figured it out from the beginning. How stupid and naïve he was.

Draco grabbed his robe and ran out of the common room. The only thing that was running through his mind was to get to Professor McGonagall as quick as he can. He closed the door behind him and ran right into the last person he wanted to see. The killer.


	15. Chapter 15

(March 01, 2011)

"Finally, I can see you crystal clear,  
Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your sheet bare,  
See how I'll leave with every piece of you,  
Don't underestimate the things that I will do,  
There's a fire starting in my heart,  
Reaching a fever pitch and it's bring me out the dark"  
_**Rolling in the Deep- Adele**_

Draco held his breath and took a few steps back. His heart was beating so fast that he wouldn't even be surprised if it came out of his chest, his pulse was pounding and his blood was pouring into his head. He couldn't believe it. The last person he wanted to see was right in front of him.

Draco knew he let some shocked emotions escape from him when he turned around. But he quickly covered it up, making sure to look calm when in reality he was far from it. He was going to pretend that he still didn't know who the killer was.

Draco formed his lips into a weak smile and faced Hermione. The hallway was dark and the only light came from the candles on the wall. Draco saw the fire from the candles swirl in her dark brown eyes.

"Did I frighten you?" Hermione asked and took a few steps towards him with her hands behind her back. She didn't have anything behind her back, she just held her hands to look proper.

Draco opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He then took a quick breath and coughed into his hand.

"Yeah, I wasn't paying attention and I thought you were a Professor," Draco lied. It wasn't a bad lie.

Hermione tilted her head to the left and smirked.

Draco watched her do this. The way she did it just made her look evil. He couldn't believe that it was her. How oblivious he was to not realize that it was her, everything lead to her. He felt that he was looking at her for the first time. She wasn't the same girl he knew from the many years before. Sure, he hated her with a passion back then, but at least she wasn't on planning to kill him.

"What's wrong? You seem nervous," Hermione asked in a pleasantly kind tone.

Draco swallowed and shook his head.

"I'm not nervous. Why do you ask?"

"By the looks of it, you do. I can see it by your body."

Draco started to breath fast and smiled.

"Okay I am. I'm just nervous about tomorrow." Not a bad lie, but it isn't a good one either.

"You mean in the morning?"

Draco nodded.

"I don't think thats the only thing you are nervous about," Hermione said and took a step closer to him. She looked at him to see if he flinched or anything as she said that. Fortunately for him, he didn't. But he did flinch in the inside. This girl could read him like an open book, he tried to make sure that he wasn't giving anything away.

Draco tilted his head a little and showed a mask full of confusion. There was no he was going to let this girl get to him.

Hermione smiled one of those smile that only she understood and started to sway a little.

"So, where are you going?" she asked.

Draco mentally cursed in his mind and thought of anything to tell her.

"Professor McGonagall wanted to see me early in the morning," Draco said. He made sure to mentally kick himself after saying that.

Hermione looked around and found what she was searching for. All the way at the end of the hallway, there was an window that displayed the clock tower. As if right on clue, the hour hand moved to the five while the minute hand moved to the twelve and the sound of the clock's ringing filled Hogwarts.

Draco cursed quietly and formed his lips into a thin line as Hermione turned back to face him with a knowing look on her face.

The ringing of the clock sent chills all over his body. It was as if the clock indicated that something horrible was going to happen.

"I passed Professor McGonagall's office and she wasn't in her room. Like every other Professor in this building, she is sleeping," Hermione said in her know it all tone.

Draco didn't reply to her, knowing that if he did, he would make everything worse.

Hermione's facial emotions changed drastically, and she was now looking at him in a serious way.

"Have you found out who the killer was?" Hermione asked.

Draco swallowed hard. He wasn't going to let her win this. He stood up straighter and also put a serious look on his face.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I haven't." Draco took a step closer but also to the right of her. "Now if you please excuse me, I have somewhere that I have to go."

With the corner of his eyes, he watched her as he took a few more steps away from her. Draco was extremely cautious for anything to happen when he realized that she was slowly letting him go. As he was now a few feet away from him, he turned around and saw that she was standing the same way she was before at the same spot. But this time, the look on her face was frightening. She seriously didn't look like the same Hermione.

"Didn't you promise, Draco?" she said quietly but eerily.

Draco kept walking, he didn't want to be near her any longer. This was his chance to get away from her. Just when he though he was getting away, he heard footsteps behind him and a moment later a hand on his shoulder. Draco stood calm. Maybe there still was a chance that she doesn't know that he knows.

Draco stopped walking and smiled.

"Yes Hermione?" Draco asked.

Hermione kept her hand on his shoulder and walked to the front of him. She was so close that her body was almost pressed against his.

"You promised," she said and looked up into his eyes.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but I just had so much on my mind," Draco said. He wasn't truly lying about that.

Hermione wrapped her hands around Draco's neck and locked them. Draco tried his hardest not to cringe as she did so.

"Is this the last time I will be seeing you?" she asked softly almost angelic.

Draco licked his lips and knew what she was doing. She was playing him. Draco was ninety percent sure that she knew, so that was why she was playing him. She knew that now that he knows, he won't dare kiss her.

Draco closed his eyes and sighed. He reopened them and saw Hermione smiling. There was no way he was going to lay his lips onto the demon again. Draco separated her hand from his neck and held them in his hands.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but I have to go." Draco forced himself to lean forward and kiss her on the forehead. Hermione didn't close her eyes as she normally would do. Instead she smiled her wicked smile.

"Do you know what I think?" Hermione said, "I think you're lying to me."

Draco looked down at her as she took her hands away from his grasp and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I think you do know who the killer is," Hermione rolled off her tongue as if she had been practicing that sentence in the mirror many times.

Draco stood still and kept his mouth shut. He could feel hear his heart beating so hard against his chest, and he knew that she did too.

Hermione kept her hand on his shoulder as she began to walk around him. Draco closed his eyes as she walked behind off him. He could feel her breath next to his ear as she stopped.

"Say the name, Draco," she whispered into his ear.

This was it. She played him like a mouse and had won. There was no way out of it. Draco closed his eyes and winced as he called out her name.

"Hermione Granger."

Draco could feel her smiling as he called out her name. Hermione started to walk around him again and stopped right in front of him.

"Took you long enough. I knew you were smart, but damn it sure did take you a long time. If I was in your shoes, I would've figured it out the minute I got the first letter. I guess this just proves how much smarter I am than you." Hermione smiled her wicked smile again and took his hand.

Draco wanted to yank his hand away from her, throw her against the wall and kill her with the killing curse a thousand times. Even though she would've been dead after the first time, it sure would feel good to say he killed her a thousand times. Instead, Draco just stood there and let her talk.

Hermione took a good look at him and then looked at the area she was around. They were still standing in front of the Slytherin dungeon.

"Come with me," she ordered and pulled him by his hand. Draco stood his ground and looked at her like she was crazy. What in her right mind would make her think that he would follow her?

Hermione turned around and sneered.

"It's either you follow me with your own will or I will cast the Imperius curse on you. You pick," Hermione said in a girlish voice.

Draco snarled and took his hand away from hers. For a moment, Hermione was mad that he was not going to follow her.

"Lead the way," Draco muttered and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Of course it would've been easy for him to just run away, or hex her to the next oblivion. But he knew how powerful she was and how she would do so much more damage to him at the end.

Hermione smiled and led the way.

* * *

:)


	16. Chapter 16

(March 18, 2011)

"I loved you with a fire red, now it's turning blue  
And you say  
Sorry like the Angel Heaven let me think was you,  
But I'm afraid  
It's too late to apologize, it's too late  
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late"  
_**Apologize- One Republic**_

Draco followed Hermione through out the castle with his head in a daze; all of the surroundings were nothing but a blur to him. He wasn't even thinking of the idea of actually getting caught for roaming the halls this early in the morning. If it did happen he would be free.

Hermione, every few seconds, stopped and turned around to see if he was still following her. She smiled and continued to walk with her wand glued to her hand.

While walking behind her, Draco finally let his mind reach reality and let his former death eater ways take control. Why haven't he thought of this before? Draco quickly took out his wand and very quietly concentrated on the spell _Stupefy, _while aiming at her back. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing came out of his wand. Draco stopped walking and looked down at his wand.

"Did you really think that I was stupid enough of actually thinking that you wouldn't hex me?" Hermione said and walked closer to him. "I put a a hex on your wand that disabled it."

Draco stared hard into her brown eyes and wondered were all the good from her had gone. He couldn't help but snarl after wards. He took a look around and saw that they had reached their final destination: the astronomy tower.

"What are we doing here?" Draco asked and took a few steps away from her.

"Take a wild guess," Hermione replied while watching his every move.

Draco turned away from her gleaming eyes and walked around the balcony. He turned around only when he was certain that there was at least a good ten feet in between them. He had no clue why she was doing this, he didn't even know why she was doing this to him. How on earth did he even end up in this situation.

"Why me?" he asked.

"Because, Malfoy, everything leads towards you," she said emphasizing on his last name.

Draco shook his head at her non fulfilling answer.

"Do you not understand how much I despise you? Words cannot even describe the hatred that I have towards you. You ruined my life Draco," Draco cringed as his name came out of her mouth.

"The first day at Hogwarts you judged me because I am a mudblood, then you get half of the school against me before I could even properly introduce myself. But, no Draco, that's not even the reason why I'm doing this. The main reason why I hate you so much is because of the whole battle against Lord Voldemort.

"Last year when Harry accused you of being a death eater, accused you of of anything related to Lord Voldemort, accused you of being a murderer, I went against his words and actually defended you saying that no matter how cruel and cold Draco Malfoy was, there was no way he could have done those things. But no I was wrong and you know what I got? I got a big fat slap across my face. But the hatred didn't stop there.

"I prayed that you weren't the reason behind the starting of the battle, but you were. I prayed for no one that was close to me to get hurt, but many were." Hermione stopped talking and looked up at Draco. She took in a deep gulp and moments later tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Don't you remember the night at your precious house? You have to, you were there. Your own aunt tortured me for information I couldn't give. She made me scream, she sent enormous amount of pain throughout my body, she left me a permanent mark on my forearm to remind me of that night. But that will never be the most important thing that I will remember from that night. What I remember is me looking up at you, hoping that there was some bravery, humanity, dignity, anything in you to stop her. I looked into your eyes Draco, I looked deep into your gray eyes and waited for the person that I thought you were and to stop your own aunt. But you didn't. You just stood there like a coward you are and watched her torture me."

Draco looked at her and realized what she went through that night. She counted on him to save her from the agony, but he didn't. Draco couldn't help but lower his head as she continued her story.

"But that's not the end. Somehow I managed to look past that night and let it be what it was, a memory. Maybe because of the whole issue of the war people all around were talking about. I prayed, Draco, for no one to get hurt or die while fighting. Such a silly prayer that was. I laugh at myself for even thinking that a miracle like that could happen. The people I loved, died because of that damn war. When I looked down upon Fred's lifeless body and when reality had finally hit me, I started to think about why this even happened." Hermione stopped talking and just like that the tears disappeared.

"When Harry finally told me how the battle started, I never looked at you the same. You, Draco Malfoy, was the reason. You brought those death eaters into the castle. You! If you never had done that, no one would've died!" Hermione bellowed.

Draco shook his head frantically and pointed his finger at her.

"If you think that I go by everyday without thinking about the battle, then you are highly wrong. Not a day goes by without the piles of guilt I have stored deep within me." Draco screamed and started to breath hard.

"I don't care about the guilt you feel. You should be feeling it until the day you die. There is no doubt in my mind that you, the Slytherin Prince, is the cause to all of my problems."

"Hermione," Draco started but was caught off.

"You are the problem and soon I will dispose of this problem."

For a few moments, they both looked at one another with the silence and the darkness overwhelming them. Draco didn't know what to do anymore. He knew she was right, but how on earth is he suppose to let her forget?

"What does Lavender Brown's death have to do with any of this?" Draco asked, getting all of the missing puzzle pieces together.

"She was the very reason for what happened this year. The whole photograph situation was never my decision. I admit, I did send you that very first letter to you during breakfast but only to scare you at that time. Back then, I had no clue with what to do with you as I do now. When I saw you receive my letter, the look on your face was priceless, but me receiving a letter too? I never imagined that happening. Why on earth would I send a letter to myself and why would I want to ruin my relationship with Ron by posting a photograph of me and you around school? Never in my wildest dreams did I picture that happening. I was so mad when I saw that picture, I had no idea on who would do such a thing to me. But as time went by, I realized how much more of an affect you had on the photograph and the letter combined. So I took the scandal as my own.

"Months had to go by for me to finally find out who started this and why they wanted to ruin my life. Can you believe it? Lavender Brown started all of this, aren't you happy that the person that started this is now dead? It was common sense for why she did what she did. She did it because she wanted Ron. It was indeed clever, she thought of a perfect way to break us up. But at the end, it wasn't her that broke me and him up, it was you. I had Ron wrapped around my finger until the day you went up the platform and told everyone that big lie. Me going out with you, unspeakable. You broke me and Ron up, and you gave Lavender what she wanted. Don't you see that you truly have ruined everything?"

Draco took a few steps away from her and shook his head.

"Granger, you are crazy."


	17. Chapter 17

(March 29, 2011)

"Stand in your arms without fall into your feet,  
But there's a side to you that I never knew, I never knew.  
All the things you say that where never, where never true,  
And the games you play, you always, always win.  
But I set fire to the rain,  
Watch it pour as I touched your face,  
Let it burn while I cry,  
Cause I heard it screaming at your name, your name"  
_**Set Fire To The Rain- Adele **_

"Me, Draco? How absurd. I'm not crazy," Hermione said a little to fast. She stared hard at his direction but she wasn't truly looking at him.

Draco opened his mouth to say something more but was quickly caught off by a warm tingling feeling on the right side of this cold cheek. For a brief moment, Draco turned to his right and saw the sun rising up behind the mountains, lighting up the world, little by little.

The rising soft rays of the light from the sun appeared on Hermione's pale face. For the first time, he really took a good look at this stranger before him. Her long soft messy curls fell down to her stomach; her pale skin twinkling behind her sheer peach night gown; her wand poised ready at him. Draco savored the last to look at her face. Her face masked with sternness but hiding something underneath; her lips softly parting and closing as if fighting back to say something; her long forgotten rich chocolate brown eyes looking back at him with knowing. Draco stared at her like she was nothing but a stranger.

More light appeared on her body, this time moving the shadows below her waist. Draco looked out the balcony and realized that it was time for him to go. The Aurors should be making their way to the castle's gates, waiting for them to be opened. Draco closed his eyes and lowered his head. Both of the pathways he had to follow for life left him with no chance of escape. Death or suffering, which would one like better?

"I don't belong in Azkaban. I have done nothing wrong," Draco whispered harshly. He opened his eyes and without moving his head up, he gazed up at her.

"But you do," he whispered on the last breath.

The soft breeze moved her curls in a rhythmical dance as she trembled the wand in her hand. It seemed that she hadn't even heard the murmur he said. Her mind was off to a far away place, father than what reality offers. Draco watched as she slowly roamed her eyes somewhere else and then quickly closed them shut.

"No I don't," Hermione said softly, so softly that the breeze was able to lift it up and drift the sound away from Draco's ear to hear. Hermione shook her head and looked back into the reality she was in. This was no fairytale that she lived it.

"You won't make it to Azkaban anytime soon," she said. "I won't let the Dementors have all of the fun." Hermione formed her lips into an thin line and placed her free hand onto her forehead. It seemed like she struggled to say the words out loud.

"Why the sudden nervousness?" Draco asked as he took a small step to his left. Draco kept his eyes on her, as he made up his mind and accepted that this was his good and last chance for escaping while she was in distress.

"It's not sudden," she whispered to herself.

Just as she said that,Draco ran past her and was just a few feet away from freedom and into the castle, but then a white light hit his lower back. Draco fell onto the gravel floor and magically, ropes appeared around his arms and legs.

"I can't let you escape," she whispered which came out to be more like a whimper.

She walked over to him and looked down at him. Draco struggled the best he could out of the ropes, but it was no use. He was never going to get out of this situation he was dragged into.

Hermione hesitated for a brief second and helped lift him up to his feet, but only to shove him to the center of the balcony. Draco sat on his knees, letting his hair block his face. A few moments went by in silence until Hermione broke it.

"Don't you think it is time for you to feel the pain I have felt all this time?" Hermione asked.

Draco squinted his eyebrows closer, trying to debate whether or not he heard her voice break when she said the word pain. But his debating quickly ran away from him as his mind was now filled with thoughts of pain. His body collapsed on the floor as razor sharp knives ran across his entire body. Never had he felt so much pain in his entire life. She indeed has cast the Cruciatus Curse on him.

Draco screamed as the feeling continued. He rolled his body to his back and was now facing the ceiling. He kept screaming, this time it was no longer for the pain but for the hope that people would wake up and hear him. So this is what death felt like. Being incapable of stopping it. Draco closed his eyes and let tears fall out of his eyes. He needed a plan of escaping. He couldn't stay in the walls behind Azkaban for something he never did, and he surely couldn't die for nothing either.

Draco opened his eyes and yelled out her name. The excruciating pain stopped and Draco was able to lift himself up to his knees.

"Hermione," he breathed out.

Hermione stood motionless as she looked down at him. His hair was covering his face and Hermione had the sudden desire to kneel down and move the strands away.

"What do you want?"

"You," he managed to choke out.

Hermione stopped abruptly and turned her head away from him.

"I love you," he said.

"No you don't," Hermione said sternly, but then really quietly she whispered, "There is nothing for you to love about me."

Draco shook his head.

"There are many reason why I love you. I love the way you read when everyone else is out partying, I love the way you are around me when we are alone together, I love the way your touch feels against my skin, I love the way-"

"There is no need for you to say more. I don't want to hear it. You, Draco Malfoy, are nothing to me."

Draco managed his way to get up on his feet and hopped his way towards her. He reached out and grabbed her hands with both of his.

"Hermione, I know you love me too," he whispered.

Hermione's body trembled as he leaned forward and kissed her lips. It surprised him how cold her lips were compared to his. She kissed him back but it wasn't the way she always had. It was like she wasn't herself when they kissed.

Draco gently placed his hands on her wand and thought of a spell while they kissed. In a moment his ropes untied and fell down to the floor. Draco stopped kissing her and shoved her against the wall with his wand aimed at her throat.

"What? Are you going to kill me?" Hermione breathed out, not even struggling to get away from his grasp.

Draco glared at her and put his hand around her throat. Hermione gasped and touched his strong forearm. He wouldn't mind at all to kill this Mudblood before him. After all the shit she had done to him, it would only seem fair.

They both looked into each others eyes and somehow Draco saw sympathy in her eyes. It was amazing how one minute he could be so furious at her, but then the next he wasn't. Gently, she closed her eyes and awaited for the pain that she expected to come as a tear ran down her check. Draco hesitated but said a spell that slowly made her unconscious.

Hermione felt the tip of her wand and his hand ease away from her throat and she weakly sank down to the floor. She couldn't feel her body at all and the only thing she could do was try to stop herself from going into the dark state of mind. Everything else came as a blur as she saw his blonde head run away from the balcony and down the staircase. Her weak smile went and came as moments later she saw another pair of feet approach in front of her which then quickly followed with darkness.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I wrote this four days ago but Fanfiction wouldn't let me upload any chapters until I figured out how too. Sorry for the long delay. Blame fanfiction, school, and afterschool practices :)**  
**

Aren't I so confusing? No worries, everything will make sense when I publish the last few chapters. Sadly, this story is coming to an end. Don't forget to review :D


	18. Chapter 18

(April 04, 2011)

"Feels like a dream, so unreal  
Feels like a dream, so unreal  
come and fly me up to another place  
give me a one way ticket and keep the change  
get me out, set me free from here  
love will never pay they say  
the truth is kept in a secret place  
so can yo u show me where to go from here  
come take me away  
come take me away  
come take me away from here"  
_**Take Me Away- Burman & Jessica Jean **_

Draco ran as fast as he could down the stairs and through the hallways and looked back a few times as he did. He knew that it was pointless to look behind to see if she was running after him after he cast her into unconsciousness, but somehow he still that the fluttery feeling in his stomach that she was right behind him.

Draco ran past the many abandoned classrooms, trying his hardest to make it to Professor McGonagall's office before the ministry gets there. The sun was already up in the sky indicating that students will be waking up soon. His feet hurt, his body hurt, his subconscious mind and his heart. There was no end to this ongoing pain that he felt.

He wondered if anyone else was in the same situation he was in before? What would they do if they found out that the girl they actually had feelings for was a traitor, a fraud, a killer. As he ran, he shook his head on how stupid he was. She was exactly the same as he was. A traitor, a fraud, a killer. But still, would people be doing the same thing he was doing right now? Running to the headmistress turning in the one girl that was different. The one girl that reminded him of himself?

Draco slowed down his sprinting to a moderate jog and tried to suffice his thoughts. Maybe he should run out of the castle and keep running until he had reached a far away place where no one even recognize him. Draco stopped running and turned around to stare off into the distance that he ran from. In the back of his mind, he prayed that Hermione would be running after him screaming that this was all a joke. A silly game to get back at him for not speaking to her for a couple of months. But another part of his mind bellowed the words "run, while you can!".

Draco shook his head. Has he become completely absurd? She killed a person for heavens sake. She blamed her cruel ways at him. If anything, he should be running and turning her in for her sinful ways. Draco slowly blinked and continued his journey to the headmistress's room.

The clock tower's bells rang and filled the castle with ear-breaking ding throughout the castle. It was seven o'clock and the ministry should be walking into the castle this very moment. Draco stopped thinking and ran. He forgot about his battling thoughts and sprinted for his life to be justified.

Just as he ran around the corner, his breathing going his quick heaves, he bumped right into the Minister himself. Draco straightened up to apologize before he had finally realized whom he had bumped into. He looked at the man in horror and quickly jumped out of his reach. Draco sprinted his way down the halls with Cornelius Fudge's words growing fainter and fainter as he ran.

Draco opened the wooden door with a bang and didn't care if Professor McGonagall was sleeping. He was in full intention of running to her room and waking her out from bed. But to his surprise, she was already sitting with her tight bun on top of her head, hands folded on her work desk and staring at him with a firm smile as if she was expecting him.

Hanging onto the doorknob to breath, Draco manged to mutter out his words between breaths. His heart was racing, his pulse was pounding and the adrenaline was still fully strong in his body.

"Professor, I'm not the killer. I swear on my mother's grave I am not."

Professor McGonagall looked at him with her stern look and awaited him to continue.

"Please, you have to believe me. I know who it is." Draco ran to her desk and pounded his hands on her desk. "It's Hermione Granger. She is the killer and the mastermind behind the while mystery."

This time Professor McGonagall moved her eyebrows closer and opened her mouth to speak but was immediately interrupted by another heaving breaths from someone.

"You, boy are in so much trouble!" Cornelius Fudge panted as he stumbled his way into the room with his finger pointed at Draco.

Draco shook his head and turned his attention back to Professor McGonagall.

"I didn't do it! Please you have to believe me! I wouldn't be here if I was bluffing!" Actually, he would be. He would do anything in his righteous mind to get away from Azkaban.

Moments later, two pair of hands grabbed hold of both of his arms and started to pull him away from the desk. Draco began to scream and saw Professor McGonagall stand up from her desk.

"You think you could runaway from what you have done," Cornelius muttered into his face as he stood before him. Draco had to look down to see his face. The two Aurors began to drag him out of the classroom and once again Draco began to scream, hoping that this wasn't what faith had intended.

"Stop," Professor McGonagall said. "Let him speak."

Cornelius glared up at her and looked at her in dismay.

"Enough Professor McGonagall, we have caught the killer. Why else would he be running away form it. He is a guilty as they get."

Professor McGonagall walked around her desk and walked right up to Draco. For a few moments she examined his face and saw something that made her question the situation once more.

"And what if he was truly innocent?" Professor McGonagall asked into Draco's gray eyes. Draco stomach fluttered with nervousness as he stared back into her brown eyes. Was faith really out there?

"He has no evidence! I know a boy that is guilty when I see one. And this boy is as guilty as they get!" Cornelius bellowed not wanting anything else questioned. "The Malfoys belong in Azkaban."

Professor McGonagall turned around and looked at the old man.

"If that is so, how come Mr. Malfoy was working at the Ministry under your content?"

Cornelius snarled and looked at the two Aurors that were holding the young man. The two man nodded at him and began to pull Draco out of the office.

"Enough of this rubbish. He is going and that's final!"

Draco shook his arms, trying to get away from the man's strong grasp.

"Please, I have proof," Draco begging, trailing his feet on the floor to make it difficult for the men to take him away.

"Please," he begged once more.

"Proof, you have none," Cornelius exclaimed already agitated as it is.

"If you are so sure that he is guilty, then let him say what he has to say," Professor McGonagall said and walked to block the doorway.

Cornelius waved his hands in the air and shook his head.

"You have two minutes."

"The killer is Hermione Granger," Draco said.

Cornelius looked at Draco and started to give a scratchy laugh.

"See, useless." Cornelius said and looked at Professor McGonagall.

"Let his finish," Professor McGonagall said.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I could show you better than having to explain," Draco sighed.

The people in the room looked at him to continue, waiting to see his proof. Draco looked up at the light haired man and shook his arm free. Draco then walked over to the Pensive that was once Professor Dumbledore's. He looked down at the black water and saw his own reflection. No wonder, no one believed him. He truly was a mess.

A laugh echoed behind him which then followed with words.

"Is this your way of providing your evidence? By showing us your thoughts?" Cornelius barked.

Professor McGonagall walked over to Draco and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You better not be bluffing," she said and gave him her wand for he didn't have one.

Draco closed his eyes and let the memory fade back into his mind when he was up at the astronomy tower. He placed the long memory into the water and glanced back.

"Are you coming or not?" Draco asked.

**~o~**

Images blurred past them of his life and stopped once they all fell onto the cold gravel floor. It was all deja-vu to him as he looked around. The sky was pitch black, the wind was strong as ever and his own voice filled the air. Draco walked over to the distance that lay between Hermione and the other Draco.

"_Why me?" he asked._

Draco looked at himself ask that question and hated the look that showed on his face. The look of the unknowing, the look of betrayal plastered all over his pale face.

_"Because, Malfoy, everything leads towards you," she said emphasizing on his last name. _

Draco turned his head and saw Hermione. The wind blowing her nightgown, her hair in a fury. He saw what he heard what he hadn't heard before. Struggle.

_"Don't you remember the night at your precious house?" Hermione started._

"How could I forget," Draco whispered to himself hoping that the others wouldn't hear.

"_You have to, you were there. Your own aunt tortured me for information I couldn't give. She made me scream, she sent enormous amount of pain throughout my body, she left me a permanent mark on my forearm to remind me of that night."_

"A permanent mark was left for me too. A haunting memory that lies with me forever." Draco looked at Hermione and saw weakness in her eyes. Her body stood strong but her eyes showed everything that was hidden inside of her. The tears were just a fragment.

"_But that will never be the most important thing that I will remember from that night. What I remember is me looking up at you, hoping that there was some bravery, humanity, dignity, anything in you to stop her."_

"There was none." he whispered as he walked over to her. So close that that he saw the outlining of her brown eyes, which were looking past him.

"_I looked into your eyes Draco, I looked deep into your gray eyes and waited for the person that I thought you were and to stop your own aunt."_

Draco raised his palm to her cheek and tried to wipe away the new tear that ran down her face. But his hand went through her.

"_But you didn't. You just stood there like a coward you are and watched her torture me." _

Draco closed his eyes and turned around. No wonder she felt the way she felt towards him. If anything, he would be doing the same thing if someone had failed miserably like how he did. Draco walked out of the space between them, knowing the anger that was coming from her.

_"What does Lavender Brown's death have to do with any of this?" Draco asked. _

Draco turned around, not wanting to watch any more and walked over to where Professor McGonagall and the others were standing. They didn't seem to notice him next to them, they were to busy paying attention to the scene before them.

The dense air filled with Hermione's cruel words about lavender's death. That whole telling would be end of all of his problems. When Hermione will be finished, he will be free while she would be trapped.

Professor McGonagall placed her hand on his shoulder as Hermione finished that part of her story.

"Somehow I knew you were innocent," Professor McGonagall said.

Draco smiled weakly and waited for the memory to vanish, but it didn't. Instead it continued. Apparently he extended the memory until the very end and the only to exit it was to finish it.

"I believe, I owe you an apology," Cornelius said.

"You can keep your apology," Draco sneered and walked away from the adults that were now talking.

_"I don't belong in Azkaban. I have done nothing wrong," Draco whispered harshly._

_"But you do," he whispered on the last breath. _

Draco looked at Hermione as those former words came out form his mouth. Her face was elsewhere. She wasn't concentrated on him any longer. Her curls danced around her face as she quickly yet slightly looked past her shoulder. Back then, he hadn't noticed that motion, but now it was clear as day to him.

_"No I don't," Hermione said softly._

Draco himself, haven't even heard her say that. He moved closer to her and saw her shake her head and let her face go into false fury. Something wasn't right.

Her lips moved but no sound came out, moments later she ran through him and catch the other Draco.

_"I can't let you escape," she whispered which came out to be more like a whimper. _

Draco watched as she pointed her wand at him. He knew what she was going to do next. She was going to use the Cruciatus curse at him. He waited but no spark flew out from her wand. Then from the other side of the astronomy tower, the bright light came and aimed at him. Draco turned around and watched as a shadowed body appeared. He could recognize that body and that hair anywhere. As fast as it appeared, it disappeared into a corner that hid itself from view. Draco ran to the other side and stood right in front of her. He looked at her dark brown eyes, her tanned skin, her long straight black hair, her red lips forming into a smile. Her dark beauty wasted away into sins.

Draco slapped her but his hand went right through her face. How much he hated her, how much he despised the person before him. It made sense now, she was the cause to his problems not Hermione. Pansy was the cat and Hermione was played the mouse.

Her smile slipped into a frown as she turned her head away from the corner and looked at the two of them before her. Draco growled and looked at what made her mad.

The kiss.

Draco ran away from Pansy and into the middle. Hermione, must off tried to warn him somehow but couldn't. What a fool he was.

The image started to blur as soon as the other Draco grabbed hold of her wand. Draco looked around frantically and began to run to the others.

"No!" he bellowed. "Wait! I've made a mistake! I gave you the wrong killer!"

But they couldn't hear him. His voice faded as the memory faded itself.


	19. Chapter 19

(April 17, 2011)

"and the risk that might break you  
Is the one that would save  
A life you don't live is still lost  
So stand on the edge with me  
Hold back your fear and see  
Nothing is real 'til it's gone"  
_**Before It's Too Late- Goo Goo Dolls**_

"_I know that it was you who did what you did," a voice said behind her. _

_Hermione turned around and saw Pansy standing behind her with her arms crossed over her chest. Hermione stood clueless for a few minutes, wondering what she did, but then she remembered._

"_I don't know what you are talking about?" Hermione lied and turned around._

_Pansy put her hand on Hermione's shoulder and forcefully turned her around._

"_Don't act so innocent. I know you sent that photograph of me and Draco kissing to Goyle," Pansy barked._

_Hermione licked her lips and looked into Pansy's brown eyes. They were so dark that it seemed to be a black hole that sucked in every energy that a person had when they stood in front of her. _

_Pansy took a step forward and pointed her red colored fingernail at Hermione._

"_I am so god damn tired of you messing everything up! You will pay Granger, and you will pay now."_

_Hermione shook her head at Pansy's ignorance and stepped away from her. Not even a well manicured finger could keep Hermione from doing what she intended on doing. What happened at the Great Hall was horrible. They way students attacked Draco was uncalled for. Hermione knows for a fact that Draco would never in his life kill Lavender, no matter how annoying she could be. _

_Hermione was shocked most of all how Professor McGonagall just stood there on top of the platform and let it happen. _

_Thankfully Hermione stepped away from the chaos and pointed her wand towards the ceiling, allowing all of the candles to explode and letting Draco escape from the mob._

_It was night by now and Hermione desperately wanted to see Draco before morning again. She already visited him once after the incident and thankfully they shared a kiss, but this time she wanted to go talk to him about leaving. It wasn't fair that Draco had to go to Azkaban for something he didn't do. No jury would even consider him being innocent because of his family._

_She wanted to tell him that they should leave. Runaway from this chaos. They could leave England and go as far as America. No Ministry would be looking for them there. They would even live among the muggles. This plan of hers was perfect and she wanted to tell him as soon as possible. But as always, Pansy was in the way._

"_Pansy, save your little games for someone else," Hermione said._

"_But here is the thing Granger, the game I'm playing is a two player game, and your the second player."_

_Pansy walked over to Hermione and grabbed her from behind. Before Hermione could scream, she covered her mouth and dragged her into a closet. Pansy pushed her onto the floor and stood before her. _

"_What the bloody hell!" Hermione screamed but then quickly shut her mouth as a wand was pointed at her face._

"_We are going to play a game Granger. A game that you will have no choice but to play. Unless you would like to call your self an orphan," Pansy said sternly, with no hint of humor._

_Hermione looked up at the monster. _

"_You're the person that is doing all of this to me and Draco! You're the one that kept on sending us those letters! You killed Lavender!" Hermione squealed._

_Pansy smirked as she looked down at Hermione. She didn't bother responding to her, obviously Hermione was right. She always was. Somehow, everything seemed to make sense. Pansy was behind all of this. She wanted Draco all for herself and the only way to get him is getting rid of Hermione. Pansy killed Lavender and made it look like Draco did it. Knowing Draco, he would do anything to get him out of the mess. So Pansy cast a spell on him for letting him think that Hermione was the one that was the killer. So, Draco would blame the killer on Hermione and she will be the one going to Azkaban. _

"_I want you to pretend you're the one that did all of this. Don't do it, then say goodbye to your lovely parents."_

**~o~**

Hermione couldn't open her eyes, not because she physically couldn't, but because she didn't want to see what was going to happen next. Somehow the eery darkness that she saw with her eyes closed, was better than reality.

The memory of Pansy telling her to pretend she was the killer, kept replaying in her head. Hermione couldn't believe she played along. She should have fought back.

"I have to say, I sure am impressed."

Hermione dreaded opening her eyes. She wanted to believe that this was all a dream. That Draco wasn't going to Azkaban or her for the matter of fact, that Pansy wasn't out to get her, that she could enjoy the rest of her school year with no more letters and photographs. She dreamed of her and Draco holding hands, walking down the streets with no one whispering about them, with no fear roaming around, just walking down the street exactly how a normal couple would be doing. But this dream wasn't going to come true. No matter what was going to happen, people will always talk about this, she won't be walking down the streets with Draco for she will be in Azkaban. Opening her eyes will make that dream go away. The last glimpse of hope that she has left, will just fade away.

"Are you happy now?" Hermione murmured into her knees. The sun was already up in the sky and it sent warm tingles all around her body. Hermione wanted to cry, but she couldn't. Not in front of Pansy.

"No, not yet," Pansy said and Hermione could hear her heels tapping on the hard graveled floor. "I will be happy when I see you off to Azkaban and have Draco in my arms. I will be the winner in this game, Granger, and you will just lose."

Faint footsteps and voices started to appear from the staircase that made Hermione's stomach hurt. People were on their way to take her away. Even if she did try to plea not guilty, Hermione knew that Draco showed them something so convincing that she would just sound stupid.

Tears started to fall down her cheeks and now she truly hated herself for showing weakness in front of Pansy.

As the sounds started to appear closer, Pansy threw a bloody knife at Hermione. Thankfully it fell on her lap. Hermione stared at it, too dumbfound to explain. Why on earth should a bloody knife be placed on her lap? Hermione looked up and saw Pansy's arm all covered in her own blood. Hermione couldn't believe it. That crazy bitch cut herself!

"What the hell are you doing!" Hermione screamed, holding the bloody knife in her hand.

"Stay away from me you murderer!" Pansy cried, allowing her tears to fall down her cheeks.

"This wasn't part of the game, Pansy!" Hermione screamed. She couldn't believe it, Pansy was pretending that Hermione hurt her.

"Please, please don't kill me! Stay away!" Pansy cried and took a few steps back. Intentionally, Pansy slipped and fell on the floor, crawling backwards as Hermione walked towards her. To anyone's point of view, this would look extremely convincing. A weakened, hurt, crying girl crawling away from an angry girl holding a bloody knife.

"Hermione!"

Hermione knew that voice.

She turned around and saw his blonde head running towards them, followed by a group of people. Hermione dropped the knife and began to cry. This was all over. They have come to take her away.

Draco ran up to her just when Hermione fell on the floor, her knees to weak to hold her self up.

"Hermione," Draco whispered and bent down to pick her up. "I'm so sorry."

Hermione continued to cry, words couldn't even come out from all of the sobbing.

Draco hushed her and then placed his hands on her face, moving her hair away from her face.

"I will fix this, I promise," Draco murmured.

Hermione didn't know how he found out that she wasn't the killer, but she was thankful that he knows the truth.

Draco leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. But the kiss didn't last long because the Aurors grabbed their shoulders and pulled them away from each other.

"No!" Hermione started to scream as they pulled her away.

Hermione saw Draco struggling to let himself go, cursing as they grew farther apart from each other. Then, there was Pansy, still lying on the floor as Professor McGonagall bent down to lift her arm.

But the last thing Hermione saw wasn't Draco but Pansy's red lips curled up in a smile.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:**  
Ta-da! I am finished. Here is the last chapter for this thrilling yet confusing story. Thank you so much for reading this story, your reviews were awesome and I am so happy that you guys enjoyed reading my story. I hope this chapter makes up for what I put you guys through while reading. At the end you will notice that I did something different from all of my other stories *Hint. Hint* :) Once again, you guys are amazing! I'm truly thankful for my lovely readers.  
**-Natalya**

* * *

(April 22, 2011)

"Not thinking about tomorrow  
Couldn't catch it if I tried  
World is spinning too fast  
So I'll wait 'til it comes to me  
I am you  
You are me  
We are one  
Take me in your arms  
And flow through me  
I'll flow through you"  
**We Are One- Kelly Sweet**

_Pansy got up and took a seat next to Draco, while he was looking out the window. She saw that he was in his own world, probably thinking about his parents, but she couldn't help the fluttery feeling she got whenever she saw the sun hitting his face; making his cold gray eyes swirl with warmth. _

_Pansy lifted her hand and reached for his, but sadly he moved his away. She sighed and leaned back on the couch._

"_What's the point of me being your girlfriend if you won't even show some type of affection towards me?" Pansy muttered._

_Draco looked away from the window and stared down at her as she twirled a strand of hair with her finger. _

_He stood up and pulled her into his harms. The way he did it wasn't a typical affectionate way a boy does to a girl, but it was more aggressive. Blaise and Goyle saw what was going to happen and both looked out of the window. _

_Pansy let out a quick whimper as he forcefully opened her button down coat. _

"_Because you have what every guy wants," he snarled and placed his hands on her chest. _

_Pansy took a deep breath from her nose and glared at him._

"_Let me go Malfoy!" she barked, but he didn't listen. He held her a captive._

_Draco ran his hands over her body while pinning her to the couch and kissed her forcefully. Tears ran down her face as he kissed her. She grabbed his hands and threw him off of her._

"_Why must you be such an ass!"_

"_It's either you live with me being an ass or get out of my life!" he screamed._

_They both eyes each other and then Draco stormed off into the bathroom. Pansy looked down at Blaise and Goyle who were both looking at the window, not wanting to be part of the argument, and got up from her seat._

_"What are you staring at Mudblood," she said which ended with a sniffle as she saw Hermione staring at her, and walked past the line of girls also waiting for the bathroom and disappeared into it._

**~o~**

_The whistle from the train blew as the train came into a halt. Pansy looked at her self in the mirror, dreading her reflection. She couldn't believe she cried in front of him. She knew that she was pushing Draco to his boiling point, she deserved what he did to her in public. Pansy reapplied her red lipstick and popped her lips. At least Draco was hers. _

_Pansy opened the bathroom door and saw that the whole compartment was empty. She cursed softly and walked over to the couch to get her things. _

_As she was placing her purse over her shoulder, the boys bathroom door opened loudly._

_Pansy turned around and saw Hermione staring at the empty compartment with her mouth open. Pansy was furious that Hermione saw the scene with her and Draco and took out her wand to hex her. But as her wand was in mid air, the door opened again and Draco stood behind her. _

_Pansy ducked down to the floor for them not to see her. Furious that her boyfriend was sharing a bathroom with the unspeakable Mudblood, she reached for her camera and took a picture of them. _

_"Graceful," he said while walking over her and stepping off of the train.  
Hermione gathered her self up, put all of her muggle clothes in her bag and walked off of the train also._

_Pansy stood up and watched them walk towards the castle. Anger boiled inside of her. Anger from what he did to her and then for Hermione to be in the same bathroom as him._

"_You'll wish you never did what you did," Pansy murmured and walked off the train. _

**~o~**

The light was so blinding. The sun was nothing compared to the light that was being shined down upon Hermione. It was so bright that even when she closed her eyes, they burned.

Everything from the last moment she saw Draco at the astronomy tower to where she was now, which was sitting in the center of the Ministry courtroom, was a blur. The only thing that she truly remembered was when she was being dragged down the crowded hallways of Hogwarts with every students eyes on her and hearing the faint screams from Draco's mouth.

By now the whole school probably knew what was going on, well at least what they thought was going on. She could already imagine the revolting rumors that were being formed. _Never trust the good girls. I bet all the books that she has been reading were about how to kill someone. I heard that when the Aurors came to take her away, she was on top of the balcony at the astronomy tower ready to jump._

Even thinking about the many rumors forming, she still couldn't keep her mind from what was happening. Here she was, sitting on the old tiny chair in the center of the room, with billions of eyes on her.

She couldn't believe that her future was over. She knew that the moment she would step out of the room, her butt will be in a cell in Azkaban. This was not what she had dreamed of when she was a little girl. She had worked so hard to keep herself from this type of situation. How was it even possible for so many long nights of studying books about subjects the professors haven't covered yet, to just end?

"Did you kill Lavender Brown?" yelled the Minister Fudge.

How many times did she have to repeat that same word for them to understand, no she did not.

"No," Hermione managed to say out loud without bursting into anger.

Groans echoed throughout the room, then a soft whisper between the Minister and his jury.

"If you do not answer honestly, we will have to hurt you until you do," Cornelius Fudge said while looking down at her.

"You meant the answer you would like to hear?" Hermione blurted out, but soon regretted it. A shock of pain ran through her body as she dug her fingernails into the wooden seat. She greeted her teeth as she managed to keep her self from screaming. Screaming, crying, being polite when the people aren't are signs of weakness she would dare not show. She was a Gryfinndor. She had to be brave.

Another shock of pain ran through her body. She knew what they were doing. They were casting the Cruciatus curse at her. Her mind went back to the time at the Malfoy Manor. Images of Bellatrix painfully hurting her to say where the sword was filled her mind. The Ministry were nothing more but Bellatrix.

The pain stopped and Hermione held back her tears.

"Send in Pansy Parkinson."

The sound of the huge door opening and the sound of footsteps entering the room, ringed in Hermione's ears.

"Miss Pansy Parkinson, you were there at the night at the astronomy tower," Cornelius said which sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Yes," Pansy said in small voice.

Hermione kept her head down, not wanting to look up at that evil witch.

"Explain to us what happened."

"Well, as me being a prefect of the school, I was doing my early morning rounds throughout the castle. As I was making my way up the Astronomy tower, I heard voices shouting at each other. I entered the tower and right there in front of me I saw Hermione Granger casting the Cruciatus curse at Draco Malfoy." Pansy stopped her story for her to blow her noise and then continued.

"Then thankfully, Draco escaped from her. Well I was about to walk back down the stairs to warn Professor McGonagall about what I saw until Miss Granger, here, saw me. When she saw me, she got so mad! I tried to make a run for it but she cast a spell at me. She kept yelling at me, saying things that I couldn't quite understand, and then the next thing I know, she took out a knife and cut me!" Pansy sobbed.

"You liar!" Hermione screamed and stood up. "You filthy little liar! You did all of this! You did this to me! You made me say the things to Draco because you threaten to kill me parents if I didn't!"

Moments later, light flashed and Hermione was once again in pain on the floor. This time she couldn't help but scream. This was so unfair. How could she stand up there and lie like that.

"Order in the court room!" Minister Fudge screamed and stood up. He turned to Pansy and looked dead into her eyes.

"What you said, was it the truth?"

Pansy took out her handkerchief and dried up her fake tears.

"Every word sir."

Fudge turned away from her and looked down upon Hermione who was laying on the floor with her hands clutching her stomach.

"I will ask you the final time, Did you Hermione Granger kill Lavender Brown?"

"No," she whimpered and looked up at Pansy who was smirking.

Minister Fudge shook his head and lowered his head.

"If you find, Hermione Granger, guilty. Please raise your hand?" Fudge said to the jury.

Hermione, weakly, picked herself up with her elbow and shook her head. It was over. Her life was over. Hands were raised up high, almost every hand in the whole courtroom.

The huge door behind Hermione burst open and more light filled the room.

"She didn't kill her, I did!"

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. She turned her head slightly and saw Draco Malfoy standing on the door's threshold.

Whispers filled the room and Draco walked into the light, next to Hermione. He bent down to his knees and lifted Hermione's head. Did he really kill her?

"Missed me?" he mouthed with his lips. Hermione closed her eyes as his hand touched her cold cheek.

"Are you telling me, Mr. Malfoy, that you killed Lavender Brown?" Cornelius Fudge screamed.

Draco stood up and smiled up at him.

"Sure did."

"Why?"

"Because she was fucking annoying," Draco said with a straight face.

Cornelius looked down at Draco to see if he was joking around. Draco looked back up at him and then cracked a smile.

"Aurors, get this boy out from here for tampering with this courtroom!" Cornelius Fudge screamed in fury, shaking his head at this boy's idiocy.

Aurors rounded the ground floor and was just about to get Draco until her held his hand in the air.

"Do you know who else I'm going to kill?" Draco teased.

No one said a word.

"Everyone. Avada Kedavra!" Draco yelled.

Green sparks flew out from his wand and the whole courtroom was filled with chaos. Every jury member crawled underneath their desks as the room was bursting with spells. They were so scared that they didn't even notice that Draco was pointing his wand towards the ceiling.

Aurors came at Draco, but he managed to stupefy them. Draco ran towards Hermione and grabbed her arm.

"Let's go!" he screamed.

Hermione nodded her head and ran with him out of the room. Red alarms blinked throughout the whole building warning that there was an escape.

Draco and Hermione ran hand in hand as fast as they could, yelling spells to anyone that were trying to stop them.

"Draco, I can't" Hermione chocked as she slowly stopped running as they turned a corner.

"Hermione, we have to get out of here," Draco screamed over the loud alarm noise.

"I can't go any further," Hermione said.

Draco held Hermione in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Yes you can. We will run away with each other to a place where no one can find us. Not even an owl," Draco whispered into her ear as Hermione cried.

"They'll find us, they always do," Hermione cried into his shoulder. Draco looked over his shoulder to see if anyone had found them. When he saw that they haven't he turned back to face Hermione.

"I came to save you, I can't be the same person that I was last year at the Malfoy Manor. Hermione you are everything that I need. I don't think I could go through another minute without you. They can't take you away from me again. If they do, I suppose I then have to kill someone. Me and you will be together forever."

Hermione lifted her head off of his shoulder and looked into his gray eyes.

"You promise?" she whispered.

Draco smiled and lifted her chin.

"I promise," he said softly and kissed her.


	21. The Fallen Prince

(May 02, 2011)

Hello there lovely readers! I'm sorry to say that this note won't be part of this story.

I am writing a new story called "The Fallen Prince" but it is not a Fan Fiction. It will be my first original story.

Since you can't post original stories here , I post it in a website I currently found. It has all sorts of stories, even fanfictions!

I'm really excited to write this new story of mine, and I would really love it if you guys could read it and review.

Here is a summary:  
Prince Nathaniel has proudly earned the title, The Fallen Prince, for a reason. He is this misbehaved teenager that follows nobodies rules, even his parents the King and Queen. But could this bad Prince ever learn to love a girl that is completely the opposite from him?

You could find it here:

** www . wattpad. com / 1343715 - the - fallen - prince **

Make an account so you could review :D

Now, now, no worries I haven't forgotten about Draco and Hermione. Soon I will be writing a new story and I have a few ideas up of my sleeve.

Thank you so much,

-Natalya


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